Three in contention for election to Associate CEC next week

The International Cricket Board will hold the election of one Chief Executive Committee position the following week. Three candidates Dr Vignaesh Sharkan, Smuod Damodar and Richard Done are in the fray for the vacant position. 

The International Cricket Board has stated that the election will take place between September 12 and September 18 and the elected applicant will complete the current term of two years that commenced in 2023 and will conclude in July 2025. Three CEC representatives are from Associate Nations. The former president of Cricket Canada, Raspal Bajwa, and the head of Denmark Cricket, Umair Butt are the two other sitting members in the CEC from Associate Members. 

The major issue among the Associate Nations is the recent change in rule by the International Cricket Board to the qualification pathway, making it hard for the East Asia Pacific sides to secure their spot in the World Leagues. PNG qualified for the recent World T20 League but that will change as they will lock horns with higher-ranked countries from Asia. East Asia Pacific has one spot and the Asia region has two and the two regions will jointly compete for three berths in the pathway competition. 

Done told ABC Radio that he is upset with the International Cricket Board's decision to merge the two regions. “The EAP region as a whole was pretty disappointed. It looks at us as a region and says, 'Well, you know, you don't deserve a spot'. Even though we are ranked 20 currently and we're 19 going into that event, there are 20 teams in the World Leagues. So, you know, on rankings alone, we probably deserve a place. They argue that the region is a lot weaker and it should be challenging that stronger region to earn a spot."

Done added that he wants to make a difference for all the regions. "My interest is not for that specific reason. I have worked hard for Associate Cricket for over 20 years. The drive to be on CEC is to continue to make a difference by working with all regions and members, to ensure to range of Associate views are understood at CEC, and to help to grow the future of our Associate members for the betterment of cricket globally.

"More specifically, I want to see more certainty and consistency in the funding model and competition structures so members can plan better and further ahead," Done, the CEO of PNG, who earlier worked as a High-Performance manager at the International Cricket Board for over 15 years, told. 

The election is slated to take place over the following week and the result is expected to be announced immediately after.