ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar has stepped down from the post after two-year tenures at its helm, the International Cricket Council has announced. In a media release, the sport's governing body said that the ICC Board met on Wednesday and agreed that Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja will assume the responsibilities of the chairperson until a successor is elected.

The process for the chairperson election is expected to be approved by the ICC Board within the next week. "On behalf of the ICC Board and staff and the whole cricket family, I would like to thank Shashank for his leadership and everything he has done for the sport as ICC Chairman. We wish him and his family all the very best for the future," ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said.

"Everyone on the ICC Board extends their wholehearted thanks to Shashank for the commitment he has shown to our sport. There is no doubt that cricket owes Shashank a debt of gratitude for all he has done for the sport. He has left cricket and the ICC in a better place than he found it," Khawaja said.

After the resignation of Manohar, deputy chairman Imran Khawaja of the Singapore Cricket Association is the ICC’s interim chairman. A lawyer by profession he has been the former President of Singapore Cricket Association.

The board will accept the process of the new Chairman soon, with Colin Graves, former England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman a leading candidate. He is stepping down from his position at Lord's on August 31 and will be replaced by Ian Watmore and reportedly has the support of many leading countries. Dave Cameron, Former Cricket West Indies President has thrown his hat in the ring to flourish India’s Shashank Manohar as the next Chairman of the ICC.

Whoever the new Chief is, he will face a tough task ahead, managing with the financial and structural impact of COVID-19, which has left a huge hole in finances across the world as well as causing problems around the already-pressurised future tours programme.

 (With inputs from IANS)