Ehsan Mani succeeds Malcolm Gray as ICC President

Ehsan Mani was today confirmed as the new President of the ICC, succeeding Malcolm Gray whose three year term came to an end this morning.

Mr Mani, 58, a resident of the United Kingdom was nominated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the position.

"It is a great privilege to have been given the opportunity to lead international cricket," he said.

"It is a challenge that I welcome and look forward to.

"As I take on this role, I am focused on the importance of the union that binds the ICC, the diversity that is our strength and the importance of respecting and addressing the opinions and aspirations of all the game's stakeholders.

He went on to pay tribute to Malcolm Gray for his contribution to the game.

"I want to acknowledge the immense contribution of Malcolm Gray," he said.

"Under his stewardship the ICC has been transformed.

"He arrived at a time when the scourge of corruption threatened to tear the game apart.

"His leadership, focus and commitment have enabled the ICC to turn the tide in the battle against this threat.

"He has overseen the modernisation of the game's governance by establishing much clearer roles for Directors and Management, making the organisation more professional and efficient."

Mr Gray said that his time in the role was very rewarding.

"It has been a challenging three years but it is very pleasing to note that the ICC is moving forward in terms of governance and professional management and is in a healthy financial state.

"It has been terrific to be ICC President but I have gained more out of cricket than I have put in.

"Through this role I have been given exceptional opportunities. Thinking back on the people I have had the chance to meet, the places I've been able to visit and the experiences it has been a wonderful honour that I am grateful to have been given.

"I would like to thank the ICC members who gave me the chance to serve them and to wish Mr Mani every success in the role. He is now charged with taking the ICC forward and I am sure he will perform this role with distinction."

Mr Mani was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in 1945 and represented the PCB at the ICC from 1989 until 1996.

In 1996 he was elected by all countries to the position of Chairman of the ICC Finance and Marketing Committee, a position he held until the Committee was dissolved in June 2002 when he took over as Vice President of the ICC Executive Board.

Mr Mani has served on a number of ICC Committees, including the Chairman's Advisory Committee, set up to advise Lord Cowdrey and Sir Clyde Walcott during their tenures.

He also worked on the Rules Review Committee and the Governance and Organisation Committee.

His paper on the sharing of ICC Cricket World Cup revenues between the host and member countries had a major impact on the financial arrangements of the ICC and its members.

He was also the PCB's representative on the organising committee of the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka and was a member of the ICC Cricket World Cup Advisory Committee for the 1999 tournament in England.

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Mr Mani is on the Board of a number of UK companies, which include banking and real estate. His financial expertise was used to good effect when playing a major role in the sale of ICC media rights in 2000; negotiations which achieved a guaranteed income of $550 million for international cricket, up to and including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

He has served on the Advisory Board of the President of Pakistan's Task Force for Human Development; is trustee of an educational trust in Lahore, Pakistan, which operates a school for under-privileged girls; and Chairman of a company which runs a community development and reforestation programme in co-operation with the local community in Hazara, Pakistan.

He played cricket for the RawalPindi Club from 1959 to 1965 as a left-arm fast medium bowler and a right-handed batsman alongside a number of players who went on to earn international honours before leaving for England to further his studies.

Mr Mani will serve a two-year term in office. He follows a notable line of former ICC Chairmen and Presidents, which includes the late Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, Sir Clyde Walcott of West Indies, Jagmohan Dalmiya of India and Malcolm Gray of Australia.

ICC media contacts: