Reports: Sourav Ganguly could replace Anil Kumble in the ICC committee

Sourav Ganguly (R) inspecting a stadium during the T20 World Cup

Anil Kumble was recently appointed the coach of the Indian Cricket Team, which vacates his position as the chairman of the cricket committee in the ICC panel. Though there are no official confirmations about who is going to fill the shoes at the council, there is a possibility that former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly may be summoned to take up the position. The matter was discussed in the on-going annual conference of the ICC, held in Edinburgh. Sourav Ganguly was instrumental in selecting Anil Kumble as the coach of the national cricket team.

There was some confusion ahead of the selection of the coach of the national cricket team, and the responsibility was eventually passed on to Anil Kumble, who was chosen ahead of Ravi Shastri, his most prominent competitor for the post.

As per reports in the Times of India, in the recently concluded meet of the BCCI in Dharamsala, there have been discussions that Sourav Ganguly is a possible successor to Anil Kumble’s post. Ganguly had earlier shown a keen interest in taking up the job as the head of the panel.

Replacing Anil Kumble with Sourav Ganguly for the post would not be a surprise. He is an equally successful and influential figure in the history of Indian cricket as is Kumble. In addition to that, Ganguly is also the president of the CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) 

Anil Kumble has given the on-going ICC annual meet a miss, mainly due to the build-up to his new role at the helm of the Indian Cricket team, yet there is no official statement of his resignation. The ICC panel is often criticised for being a non-functional organisation, which meets only once a year. The chairman, being a member of the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee (CEC), which meets four times a year, is quite a responsible post.

At the end, the decision has to be made by the ICC, which has the power to appoint any former cricketer. There have been no responses from Ajay Shirke, who is currently in Edinburgh (for the ICC annual meet) or from Sourav Ganguly, who recently organised the first ever Day-Night four-day match in India.