Cricket: NZC chairman named for ICC post

Alan Isaac. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Alan Isaac New Zealand Cricket chairman Alan Isaac was last night nominated for vice-president of the International Cricket Council.

The nomination, which has taken on extra significance in the wake of the rejection of John Howard, was decided at a Cricket Australia board meeting.

It also means that, assuming his nomination is deemed acceptable by the ICC executive, NZC will be looking for a new chairman and director in the coming weeks.

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said his organisation would need to appoint an interim chairman to bridge the gap between Isaac's ascension to the ICC and the AGM, when the board will vote someone on.

A front-runner could be board member and former international spin bowler Stephen Boock, who is also on the board of Foodstuffs South Island.

A source last night told the Herald that the two boards had in the end run out of energy in the fight to have the original nomination of Howard honoured.

"Without wanting to take away from [Isaac's] nomination, it was really a case of last man standing," the source said.

Vaughan said Isaac was ideally suited to the ICC role. He will sit under the presidency of Indian Sharad Pawar for two years before rising to president of the International Cricket Council in 2012.

In February, NZC and CA jointly nominated former Australian prime minister Howard, but following a meeting of the ICC executive board, they were asked to re-nominate a candidate for the role.

The rejection of Howard caused consternation among those who believe the ICC has become the plaything of a dominant Asian bloc led by India's governing body, the BCCI, and celebration among those who believe the polarising politician was a deliberately provocative nomination.

"In light of ICC's rejection of the nomination of John Howard, the two boards have had to consider a way forward," said NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan.

"The NZC board decided Isaac was eminently qualified for the role and put his name forward for consideration to Cricket Australia.

"A meeting today of the Cricket Australia board resolved not to put forward any alternative candidate and to support the nomination of Alan Isaac," he said.

There had been speculation that CA was hell-bent on pushing the Howard name forward again, even if it was doomed to failure, though Vaughan said he never got the feeling CA was prepared to go that far.

In the end, Isaac was seen as strategically acceptable by CA.

Isaac was a firm proponent of NZC's initial nomination, Sir John Anderson, but swung behind Howard once CA had convinced NZC to back the Australian.

"We can all look back and acknowledge it's been a difficult couple of weeks," Vaughan said.

"Late last week [NZC] collectively formed a view Alan Isaac was the preferred person and we've been very pleased by the warm reception he received from Cricket Australia."

Isaac retired as chairman of KPMG after 35 years with the company and in 2008 became chairman of NZC after almost two decades on the board.

Isaac is also a member of the New Zealand Golf Board and of the Board of Rugby New Zealand 2011 Limited.

Isaac last night said that he was honoured and humbled to receive the nomination but, noting that it still required ICC acceptance and confirmation, believed it inappropriate to comment further.