Long-serving International Cricket Council Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja has lost his seat on the governing body's board following a major upset in the Associate Member Directors' elections held during the ICC Annual Conference on Wednesday. France's Gurumurthy Palani topped the voting with 35 votes, while Mubashir Usmani of the United Arab Emirates and Dr Rudie van Vuuren of Namibia secured 26 votes each.

The three successful candidates claimed the available Associate Member Director positions on the 17-member ICC Board and will each serve a two-year term. Khwaja, a veteran cricket administrator from Singapore, finished fourth with 23 votes, while Malaysia's Mahinda Vallipuram received 19. Palani and Van Vuuren will join the board for the first time, while Usmani successfully retained his position.

Palani's election will trigger another administrative change because he cannot simultaneously hold his current position on the ICC Chief Executives' Committee and serve on the board. The ICC said a separate election would therefore be required to fill his position on the committee. The results represent a significant change in Associate Member representation within global cricket's governing structure.

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ICC Chairman Jay Shah congratulated the three elected directors and said Associate Members play an important role in the continued growth and global expansion of cricket. He also thanked Khwaja and Vallipuram for their years of service, acknowledging their contributions to the ICC and the development of the game across Associate cricket regions.

Khwaja's defeat ends a long period of influence in international cricket administration. A lawyer by profession, he previously served as interim ICC Chairman in 2020 and worked as Deputy Chairman under several ICC leaders. His departure also means the governing body will need to appoint a new Deputy Chairman, with one of the newly elected Associate Directors expected to be considered for the position.

Of the ICC's 45 Associate Members, 43 were eligible to vote because USA Cricket and Cricket Canada remain suspended. Each eligible member was allowed three votes, resulting in 129 votes being cast. A new Deputy Chairman is expected to be selected before the four-day conference concludes on July 11, completing a significant leadership reshuffle within the ICC's top decision-making body.

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