ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney to leave with immediate effect, Geoff Allardice to continue as acting CEO

A general view of the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Image: Reuters/Nikhil Monteiro)

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Manu Sawhney will vacate his post with immediate effect, the global governing body for cricket said in a statement issued on July 8.

Geoff Allardice would continue as the acting chief executive officer of ICC, it added.

"The International Cricket Council today announced that Chief Executive Manu Sawhney will leave the organisation with immediate effect. Geoff Allardice will continue as Acting CEO supported by the Leadership Team working closely with the ICC Board," the statement said.

The statement was issued shortly after an emergency board meeting was convened by ICC chairman Greg Barclay to apprise the board members about the conclusions of the disciplinary process against Sawhney.

Sawhney was "sent on leave" in March this year after a number of allegations, including "bullying" and "abrasive behaviour", was levelled against him. The allegations surfaced following an internal review conducted by audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

"There have been testimonies from multiple ICC staff about his 'abrasive behaviour' which hasn't been great for the morale of a very efficient group of employees," the news agency PTI had quoted a senior official close to the ICC board as saying.

Notably, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chairman Ian Watmore, who also heads the ICC's committee on human resources, had recommended the suspension of Sawhney after studying the PwC report, ESPN Cricinfo reported. His recommendation was supported by other ICC board members, the report added.

Sawhney, who replaced Dave Richardson after the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019 for a tenure till 2022, had also not also been on best of terms with some of the influential cricket boards with regards to various policy decisions, PTI had reported.