Kuala Lumpur - Cricket's world body inaugurated a new chief executive and president on Thursday and announced a new post of chairperson in a small step towards reform after the sport was urged to modernise.
Former South African keeper David Richardson succeeded Haroon Lorgat as the International Cricket Council's (ICC) chief executive, after his compatriot's four-year term ended, and New Zealander Alan Isaac became the body's new president.
"We take over the game in extremely good health but obviously lots of challenges," Isaac, the former chairperson of New Zealand Cricket, told a press conference.
The ICC was forced into an embarrassing U-turn this week after its chief executives recommended mandatory use of decision review technology, only for the move to be rejected by its India-dominated board.
The body also made only slow progress towards wide-ranging structural reforms urged by an independent review, which damningly called it a "members' club" skewed towards cricket's leading nations.
The new post of chairperson, and reducing the presidency to a ceremonial role in 2014, were recommended in the review. But more contentious talks on changing the board's structure and membership rules were put aside.
Mandatory decision review technology and internal reforms are strongly opposed by India, which provides the bulk of cricket's revenues due to its huge fan base - and wields corresponding influence on the all-powerful board.
Cricket
is also trying to recover from damaging spot-fixing scandals which left
four players in jail, and rationalise its three competing formats in a
crowded international calendar.