Cricket Australia Friday stood by its nomination of former prime minister John Howard to the sport's governing body, but said it would hold an emergency meeting to discuss his controversial snub.
Cricket Australia Friday stood by its nomination of former prime minister John Howard to the sport's governing body, but said it would hold an emergency meeting to discuss his controversial snub.
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The International Cricket Council on Thursday urged Australia to find a new nominee after rejecting Howard without explanation, prompting the veteran former politician to declare he would not withdraw from the race.
Cricket Australia refused to "comment on names or process" Friday, but said it would call an emergency teleconference of its board as early as next week to consider its position.
"Our view is Mr Howard is the most eminent candidate who's ever been recommended for an ICC role, and he was selected after the most exhaustive process that any ICC candidate has ever been through," spokesman Peter Young told AFP.
"All we can say is we'll convene a board meeting, that will be in the near future, and we then need to talk to New Zealand about what we think we'll do next."
Howard, a passionate cricket lover, was put forward as Australia and New Zealand's joint candidate for the ICC's rotating vice presidency, with the expectation that he would be rubberstamped as its president two years later.
But the ICC refused to vote on his nomination for the role, calling instead for Australia and New Zealand to put forward a new candidate.
The ICC has denied there was a rift between Asian and African Test-playing nations and Australia, New Zealand and England, and said Howard's rejection had nothing to do with politics or his policies as leader on Zimbabwe.
But Young said the snub, which was spearheaded by Asian and African nations, "certainly hasn't done the ICC's reputation any good".
He also repeated the disappointment of Cricket Australia's chairman Jack Clarke that the body had not been able to explain their unwillingness to accept Howard's nomination.
"But these things happen and we need to work out what we now do to move forward," Young said.
"We have a nomination, it's the best possible nomination that could come from this region but we've been through these particular circumstances. There's no point simply taking our bat and ball and going home."
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