Calcutta: The toss won’t be necessary as Sharad Pawar and David Morgan have reached an understanding over the top job in the International Cricket Council (ICC).

There was no confirmation till late on Wednesday, but the arrangement will see the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman unanimously elected as vice-president of the world body.

And, when he starts a two-year term as president next June, the No. 2 position is going to be Pawar’s. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president will head the ICC for a two-year period from June 2010.

Ray Mali is the acting president till June 2008.

That Pawar may not mind waiting was first reported by The Telegraph last week.

“It’s a tactical move… Asia’s Big Four can now push for a chief executive from the region and Pawar is going to be at the helm when the World Cup returns to the subcontinent, in 2011,” is how one of the sources put it, when contacted in London.

Another added: “As of now, it’s a win-win situation for Asia and Pawar…”

The region’s Big Four — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — just aren’t in favour of an extension for the current chief executive, Malcolm Speed.

The Australian’s contract gets over next year.

Apparently, Pawar and Morgan reached an understanding during their meeting late on Tuesday, after the MCC-hosted dinner at Lord’s.

For, on the morning-after, a Pawar confidant sent a two-word SMS to this newspaper — “sorted out.”

That strongly suggested Morgan had agreed to back an Asian as Speed’s successor.

Morgan, incidentally, will be the ICC president when the Twenty20 World Championship’s second edition is held in England, in 2009.

The ICC’s governance review committee, it may be recalled, recently left it to Pawar and Morgan to “settle the issue” as a stalemate had been reached.

Specifically, neither had the support of seven of the 10 Full (Test-playing) Members. Pawar, however, did have the backing of six.