ICC to meet Lorgat on Wednesday

The ICC, looking to finalise the appointment of its next CEO, has informed Haroon Lorgat, a leading candidate and the former convenor of Cricket South Africa's (CSA) selection committee, that a "senior representative" will meet him in this regard on Wednesday. That official, Cricinfo has learnt, is likely to be David Morgan, the ICC's president-elect.

The meeting with Lorgat will take place in Cape Town, three days after Imtiaz Patel, the ICC's "preferred choice" for the post, announced his decision to continue as chief executive of SuperSport, the South African broadcaster.

"I have been asked to make myself available tomorrow (Wednesday) for a possible meeting with a senior ICC representative. However, I am not in a position to discuss the nature and subject of the proposed discussion," Lorgat told Cricinfo.

It's learnt that Lorgat, who figured on the ICC's original shortlist of six candidates, currently has a "99% chance" of being picked to replace Malcolm Speed. And if the situation develops as planned, a decision on the new appointment is expected within the next 10 days.

Dave Richardson, the former South Africa wicketkeeper and ICC's general manager, is the other serious candidate on the shortlist. IS Bindra, the former BCCI president and a third name of note on that list, has already been appointed as ICC's principal advisor.

Understandably, the ICC has placed details of the fresh recruitment process under wraps after the "difficult situation" it was placed in by Patel, who reportedly gave sufficient indication that he was ready for the job only to pull out. "We cannot discuss any timeframe at this point. All we can say is that the right processes are in place this time too," an ICC spokesman said.

The next CEO will be picked by a four-member recruitment committee that includes Morgan, Ray Mali, the ICC president, Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president and Morgan's chosen successor, and Creagh O' Connor, the chairman of Cricket Australia.

Once the recruitment committee has identified a preferred candidate, the committee will make a recommendation to the ICC executive board. The new CEO will take over from Speed, who steps down from the position after this year's ICC Annual Conference, which will take place between June 29 and July 4.