In a surprising turn of events at the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh, long-standing ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja faced a defeat in the Associate Member Directors’ elections. Gurumurthy Palani from France secured the highest number of votes at 35, followed by Mubashir Usmani from the UAE and Rudie van Vuuren from Namibia with 26 votes each, claiming the available spots on the 17-member ICC Board for a two-year term.
Imran Khwaja, a respected figure advocating for associate nations at the ICC, narrowly missed out on a position, finishing fourth with 23 votes. Palani and Van Vuuren will join the ICC Board for the first time, replacing Khwaja and another candidate, Mahinda Vallipuram from Malaysia. Usmani retained his position on the board.
Khwaja, a lawyer, previously served as the interim ICC Chairman in 2020 and held the Deputy Chair position under various ICC chiefs. He played a crucial role in facilitating negotiations between the PCB and BCCI for a Men’s T20 World Cup match. With 43 out of 45 Associate Members voting due to the suspension of USA Cricket and Cricket Canada, a total of 129 votes were cast in the election.
Following Khwaja’s exit, the ICC will need to appoint a new Deputy Chairman. It is anticipated that one of the newly elected Associate Directors will be selected for the role before the conclusion of the conference on July 11. The conference commenced with the ICC delegates witnessing Australia’s victory in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s.
