Melbourne: Cricket Australia (CA) is reported to have softened its bullish stance on persisting with former premier John Howard as its candidate for the ICC vice-presidency, but left a slim door open for the latter to maintain his bid.
Board members met yesterday and are now considering a pragmatic approach so as not to sour the relationship with India built over the past decade.
The meeting last night, however, failed to decide if Howard would be dumped for a new candidate but, tellingly, there was no emphatic statement to say Howard would be the only nominee put forward again.
While Mark Taylor has significant support as a possible replacement, he ruled himself out due to his heavy commercial and commentary interests.
Cricket Australia plans to talk to its New Zealand counterparts again in roughly a fortnight. Both nations have until August 31 to re-nominate.
The ongoing debacle surrounding the post has made it significantly unattractive to a number of potential replacements.
India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies and Sri Lanka - vetoed Howard as the nominee last week.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, July 10, 2010, 15:36