Shawdesh desk:

Greg Barclay was Saturday re-elected unopposed as independent chairman of the International Cricket Council after Zimbabwe’s Tavengwa Mukuhlani pulled out of contention.

The former New Zealand Cricket boss succeeded Shashank Manohar in 2020 and retained the job for another two years with the board’s full support, the sport’s governing body said.

“Over the last two years we have made significant strides forward with the launch of our global growth strategy that provides clear direction to build a successful and sustainable future for our sport,” said Barclay.

“It is an exciting time to be involved in cricket and I look forward to continuing to work closely with our members to strengthen the game in our core markets as well as grow it beyond that, ensuring more of the world can enjoy cricket.”

Mukuhlani said the continuity of Barclay, an Auckland-based commercial lawyer, was “in the best interests of the sport”.

“I therefore decided to withdraw my candidacy,” he added.