Dubai, January 15: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Manu Sawhney as its new Chief Executive Officer. The statement released by ICC said, Sawhney, the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports, will join the global cricket governing body next month before formally taking over the reins from David Richardson in July after the ICC men's World Cup. The appointment was ratified by the ICC Board following a global search and appointment process led by ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar and the Nominations Committee.

"I am delighted to confirm Sawhney's appointment today. He brings 22 years of outstanding commercial experience to the ICC and will lead the delivery of our new global growth strategy for the game," Manohar said. "Our search produced a host of excellent candidates from around the world, but Sawhney stood out as the man to work with our Members and take cricket forward." ICC Asks BCCI to Pay Rs 161 Crore Compensation or Lose Rights to Host 2023 World Cup.

"He has proven success in a number of leadership roles in both sport and broadcasting. He is a strategic thinker and understands the cricket landscape and its complexities. "The decision of the Nominations Committee to recommend Sawhney to the Board was a unanimous one and I and my fellow directors are looking forward to working with him," he added. ICC Asks PCB to Pay Around USD 63 Million to BCCI As Compensation for Pulling Out of Two Bilateral Series.

Sawhney has worked with ESPN Star Sports for 17 years besides leading the global broadcast partnership deal with the ICC that ran from 2007-2015. Commenting on his new assignment Sawhney said: "It is a great privilege and responsibility to serve the global cricket community as CEO of the ICC. The sport has more than a billion fans and an ambitious growth strategy so it is a very exciting time to lead the organisation."

"I'd like to thank the ICC Board for giving me this opportunity and look forward to working with them, our Members, the team and ICC's incredible partners and cricketers around the world to propel the sport forward into a period of significant and sustained global growth in the coming years." Sawhney will join the ICC in mid-February and will work alongside Richardson, the outgoing CEO, to ensure a smooth transition of leadership before assuming control in July.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 06:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).