CRICKET:Giles Clarke has been re-elected chairman of the and Wales Cricket Board for a further two years, despite being faced with calls to step down after his role in the embarrassing link-up with Texan billionaire Allen Stanford.
The 55-year-old former chairman of Somerset was under severe pressure from some sections of English cricket after Stanford was charged with fraud by the US authorities.
But after emphatically resisting those resignation demands for the last week, Clarke’s re-election was rubber-stamped today by the 41 members of the ECB, which comprises 18 first-class counties, the 21 county boards, the MCC and the Minor Counties Cricket Association.
He will now continue in the role until March 2011 - assuming his desire to continue in the post remains - and will lead the ECB’s efforts to re-establish their reputation following the embarrassment of the Stanford episode.
Clarke’s only rival for the position was Lord Marland of Odstock, who was trailing so badly in the race he withdrew before the end of the election - and before the revelations about Stanford became public knowledge.
His campaign for re-election was based upon his ability to generate vast funds for English cricket, which included the five-year deal with Stanford and a new television deal with Sky television.
He had negotiated a multi-million-pound deal with Stanford for England to play an annual $20million Twenty20 match in Antigua as an antidote to the vast funds on offer from the Indian Premier League to England’s leading players.
But the association soon became clouded in controversy with England’s players becoming openly disgruntled with the practice facilities in Antigua and Stanford’s behaviour, which included him being pictured bouncing wicketkeeper Matt Prior’s pregnant wife on his knee.
England also lost the winner-takes-all match, which forced the ECB to negotiate a three-week window with their leading players to allow them to feature in the IPL and ensure they are compensated for their failure to win the Stanford prize.
There were also plans for Stanford to bankroll a quadrangular Twenty20 tournament at Lord’s involving England and three other international teams, but the recent revelations have forced the ECB into cancelling all contracts and negotiations with him.
England have also been disrupted on the pitch since the Stanford debacle and are yet to win a single international Test or one-day international since their stay in Antigua for the Stanford Series.
Clarke, who is in Barbados with the England team preparing for Thursday’s fourth Test, is expected to reiterate his desire to continue in the job when he talks to the media tomorrow.