Calcutta: The all-powerful executive board of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has selected South Africa’s Imtiaz Patel as the chief executive to replace the incumbent Malcolm Speed.

According to an ICC release, the board approved the recommendation of the four-man sub-committee during a meeting in Dubai on Monday.

The sub-committee was asked to find a replacement for Speed, who has been the chief executive since 2001.

The Australian will step down at the ICC’s annual conference at the end of June and, subject to details being worked out, Patel will be invited to take over for an initial period of three years.

At the end of Day I of the two-day meeting, ICC president Ray Mali said: “We are delighted that Imtiaz is the next chief executive. I have no doubt that he will do a great job.”

Patel, 43, currently the chief executive of SuperSport International in South Africa, has previously held directorships of the United Cricket Board of South Africa as well as other sports organisations including SuperSport United soccer club in Pretoria and Sharks Rugby in Kwazulu Natal.

Patel is originally from the town of Schweizer Reneke in the North-West Province of South Africa. He was a teacher for four years in Soweto where he was also involved in developing cricket. He is married with two sons.

The ICC has been engaged in an extensive selection process to find the next chief executive.

A global recruitment firm was appointed to conduct the initial stages of the process and then it presented a short-list of candidates to the sub-committee.

The sub-committee, comprising Mali, Morgan, BCCI chief Sharad Pawar and CA supremo Creagh ’Connor, with PCB chief Nasim Ashraf as a non-voting observer, heard a presentation from the firm.

The sub-committee then made its recommendation to the executive board.