A senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today said the decision to nominate Indian Cricket Board chief Sharad Pawar for the post of ICC president was taken to increase the Asian influence in the world governing body of the sport.“There is no doubt this is the main reason behind sending Pawar’s nomination. The Asian Test-playing nations strongly feel there must be more Asian representation in the ICC,” Saleem Altaf, PCB’s Director, Cricket Operations, said.Pawar will contest with David Morgan, the Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, for the top ICC post in elections to be held later this year. But Pawar or Morgan will only take over in 2008 if the sitting ICC chief Percy Sonn is not given an extension by the executive board during its the annual meeting in June.Altaf said Pawar’s nomination was a decision taken en bloc by the four Asian Test-playing nations — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — with the support of Zimbabwe. “It is a collective decision because we believe the Asian countries need to increase their influence in the ICC decision making. The ICC is generating majority of its revenues from this region, particularly India,” he said. He pointed out that presently there was just one Asian in a decision making position at the ICC while another was in a junior position. “The ICC might have other Asians working in different positions in its headquarters in Dubai, but honestly they are not in a decision making position which is so important,” he added. The four Asian countries are also due to host the 2011 World Cup and sources said the move to nominate Pawar was also aimed at changing the revenue distribution system of the ICC from that tournament.Altaf said the coming elections would be crucial after the nominations committee clears the candidates in March. “The good thing to come out of all this is that the Asian countries are now bonding together in taking major decisions and there is a culture to develop consensus on everything,” Altaf added.Pawar or Morgan require a two-third majority to win the elections in which the affiliate and associate countries also have limited votes. But Altaf said these votes would also matter a lot in the final scenario.
