Manu Sawhney leaves International Cricket Council with immediate effect
The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Thursday, announced that Manu Sawhney will leave as the CEO with immediate effect. Notably, the decision was taken by the board at an emergency meeting chaired by Greg Barclay. It is understood that Geoff Allardice will continue as Acting CEO. Sawhney was suspended since March this year pending a disciplinary hearing. Here are further details.
A look at ICC's official statement
"The International Cricket Council today announced that Chief Executive Manu Sawhney will leave the organization with immediate effect. Geoff Allardice will continue as Acting CEO supported by the Leadership Team working closely with the ICC Board," the ICC said in a media release.
Sawhney remained suspended before leaving
Sawhney was suspended in March this year pending a disciplinary hearing. The move was recommended to Barclay by the ICC's Human Resources committee, headed by ECB chairman Ian Watmore. It was based on the findings of a cultural review carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) at the start of the year. It made quite a few allegations against the management style of Sawhney.
What were the allegations?
The allegations included charges of bullying staff members, as well as acts of "physical aggression, such as fist banging". Reportedly, this impacted the health and well-being of staff members. Another charge stated that he had taken and implemented decisions without properly consulting the board. Sawhney was informed about the allegations at a virtual disciplinary hearing with Barclay on June 17.
How did Sawhney respond to allegations?
At the hearing, Sawhney said he was the victim of a "premeditated witch hunt". As per a report in Cricbuzz, he demanded that his case should be heard by an independent Ethics Tribunal. In his statement, Sawhney stated that he would contest any guilty verdict and "resist this blatant attempt to force me from office", which would set "an extremely dangerous precedent".
Who will be ICC's next CEO?
Sawhney took over from Dave Richardson as CEO in April 2019. After his exit, Allardice will be in charge for a while. Meanwhile, Tom Harrison of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), James Sutherland, former CEO of Cricket Australia, and former SA cricketer, Steve Elworthy, are in line for the role. From India, former CEO of Yes Bank, Ravneet Gill, remains in contention.
