John Howard

Calcutta: The odds continue to be heavily stacked against John Howard, Australia’s former Prime Minister, in his bid to become the next vice-president of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Sharad Pawar’s successor will also take over from him as the ICC president, in the summer of 2012. Pawar assumes charge on Thursday, at the end of David Morgan’s two-year term.

Top sources in Singapore, where the ICC’s annual conference week got underway on Sunday, confirmed that Howard faces an impossible task.

“Zimbabwe Cricket insists it hasn’t struck a deal with the ICC (on regaining Test status) and that six other Test-playing nations don’t want Howard either... In such a hostile environment, he can’t get through,” one of the very senior officials told The Telegraph.

Besides Zimbabwe, Howard is being opposed (as of now) by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and the West Indies — enough numbers-wise to defeat his joint nomination, by Australia-New Zealand, should a vote be taken within the Executive Board.

Only England’s position isn’t exactly clear, not that its support for Howard would make a difference, as seven are not in his favour.

Either way, the magic number, so to say, is seven.

Howard’s nomination has been lying with the Executive Board since April, in itself a huge embarrassment.

While political considerations appear to be playing a big part in the opposition from Africa, the Big Four from Asia don’t want an ‘outsider’ to usurp cricket’s No.1 post.

“Howard has no background as a cricket administrator... Next, we may have to deal with the nomination of a former President from somewhere... There could, then, be no end to outsiders coming in… We don’t want an unhealthy precedent to be set,” explained the head of one of the boards ranged against the Australian.

Pawar is a politician, but he’s been associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India for a decade.