Kumble to head ICC's cricket committee

Anil Kumble, the former India captain and legspinner has been appointed chairman of the ICC cricket committee. He replaces Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, who had headed it since 2008.

According to an ICC media release, Kumble's nomination was "unanimously" agreed by the ICC board at a meeting in Colombo earlier this week. Two members of the panel, former Australia captain Mark Taylor and ICC statistician Davin Kendix, got a one-year extension, while former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop voluntarily stepped down. Bishop nominated the recently retired England captainAndrew Strauss as his replacement, which was accepted by the ICC board.

ICC president Allan Isaac said he was confident Kumble would bring his extensive experience as a player and as an administrator to the ICC cricket panel. "In Anil Kumble, we have a new chairman who has unquestioned experience not only as a player with India but also as an administrator with Karnataka State Cricket Association," Isaac said. "I am sure that he will carry on Clive's good work and bring, like Andrew Strauss, contemporary thinking to the committee as both understand clearly the issues facing the modern game."

Under its ambit, the ICC cricket committee periodically recommends changes to the rules in the various formats of the game to make it more balanced and appealing. Earlier this year the committee hadrecommended that the number of bouncers permitted in an ODI over be increased to two, doing away with the bowling Powerplay and reducing the number of fielders permitted outside the 30-yard circle from five to four. All these changes were ratified by the ICC's chief executives committee in June.

For Kumble, this is another shot in the arm after the BCCI appointed him as the head of its technical committee after the board's AGM last month. Immediately after retiring from cricket, Kumble stepped into the administrator's shoes by effortlessly winning the elections in the Karnataka State Cricket Association, where he is the president. Kumble would be the second Indian to head the committee after Sunil Gavaskar.

The ICC Cricket Committee: Anil Kumble, Allan Isaac, Dave Richardson, Geoff Allardice, Andrew Strauss, Mark Taylor, Kumar Sangakkara, Tim May, Gary Kirsten, Clare Connor, David White, Trent Johnston, Ravi Shastri, Steve Davis, Ranjan Madugalle, David Kendix.