ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney asked to go on leave: Report

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney has come under scanner after an investigation revealed his conduct as being ‘unsavory and against the federation’s way of leading its operations.’

According to a report in TOI, the ICC has asked Sawhney to go on a leave. “Allegations ranging from very serious to as petty as arrogance and high-handedness, to as internally serious as hiring and sacking employees at a whim are being held against this individual. Cricket administration has been in absolute disarray and ICC had to act,” TOI quoted sources in direct knowledge of developments in their report.

A senior official close to the ICC board has said that there have been testimonies from the staff of his ‘abrasive behaviour’.

“There have been testimonies from multiple ICC staff about his ‘abrasive behaviour’ which hasn’t been great for the morale of a very efficient group of employees,” a senior official close to the ICC Board told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Apart from this, there have been reports that some of the boards have been unhappy with him for backing interim chairman Imran Khawaja during the elections last year.

“He hasn’t exactly been a favourite of a lot of cricket boards during the past couple of years. Firstly, a lot of people didn’t like his passive involvement when Greg Barclay of New Zealand and Imran Khwaja of Singapore were in contention to replace Shahshank Manohar,” a senior BCCI source privy to developments in the ICC told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

If Sawhney doesn’t resign then there would be a need of 12 votes out of 17 to remove him from the post. “Manu also has support within the board which is now split into two factions of 9 and 8 members on each side. To remove Manu, one would need 12 out of the 17 votes, which is two-third of the Board of Directors since he came with the approval of a majority of the board.”

“It will be interesting if the faction comprising ‘Big Three’ can get 12 out of the 17 votes required to remove him,” the source said.

Sawhney took the charge as the Chief Executive after the conclusion of World Cup 2019. He replaced Dave Richardson.

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