Anderson declines ICC vice-president request

Sir John Anderson does not want to be the next ICC vice-president in a decision that further complicates the search for a suitable candidate after John Howard was rejected last month. Anderson, a former chairman of New Zealand Cricket, was seen as the smoothest second choice following the ICC board's order that Australia and New Zealand find another option.

Howard, 70, remains the candidate but Alan Isaac, the current New Zealand Cricket chairman, and his Australian counterpart Jack Clarke will continue discussions before a decision is expected after Cricket Australia's board meeting on August 13. Clarke, an Adelaide solicitor, remains the man most likely to step into the ICC job, but there is the possibility of trying again with Howard, the former Australia prime minister.

Anderson was New Zealand's original choice for the role before an independent panel decided Howard was the best candidate as the countries' joint nomination. The ICC board did not even vote in Singapore on Howard's appointment, which would have included a two-year term as president from 2012, after members from six countries signaled their opposition.

New Zealand Cricket's board learned of Anderson's decision on Friday. "Unfortunately Sir John advised me that he is not available to be considered as a possible nominee," Isaac said.

"The NZC board respects Sir John's position and acknowledges the outstanding contribution he has made to the game of cricket. We have recommenced discussions with Cricket Australia around a proposed way forward." Anderson took on more company director positions after being overlooked originally and is the chairman of an agriculture business.

A decision does not have to be made until the end of August and neither side is chasing an urgent resolution to the drawn-out affair. The Australian board remains angry about the treatment of Howard, who was vetoed due to a mixture of his political links and lack of experience in cricket administration.

The board members were briefed by Clarke at a special meeting on July 9, but decided to wait until next month to discuss potential candidates. James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, said the Howard decision was still "terribly disappointing".

"The process [of re-nominating a candidate] is something that needs to be done jointly between Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket," he said. "In time we will have a chance to get together and talk about the next step. At the moment John Howard remains our nomination."