Versatile South African back Gareth Simpson has signed a two-year contract at Premiership side Worcester Warriors.

The 22-year-old has made four appearances from the bench this season, and scored his first Warriors try in the Challenge Cup win over Enisei-STM.

"It's been pretty awesome to be involved in such a big organisation," said Simpson, who can play either at either fly-half or scrum-half.

"I've learnt a lot from all the experienced players ahead of me."

Director of rugby Alan Solomons added: "Gareth is a promising young scrum-half who has the capability of playing at 10. He is a good kicker both off the floor and out of hand.

"He is also a skilled footballer and has excellent game understanding. He will ultimately be a superb game-manager."

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Stephen Nasse went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a span of roughly three hours Monday night at Five Flags Speedway.

The night started with unbelievable jubilation, as Nasse survived a multi-car accident in overtime and then led the final two-lap dash to the finish to win the 52nd annual Snowball Derby, at least so he thought.

Following post-race technical inspection in the so-called “Room of Doom,” Nasse’s apparent victory was stripped and that jubilation turned to extreme heartbreak and dejection, with the 24-year-old from Pinellas Park, Fla., exiting the tech shed quickly and ducking away to process the events of the night.

His Jett Motorsports No. 51n was tossed out for a titanium violation in the brake system, an area of the car which the Snowball Derby and Five Flags rule books specifically state no titanium is allowed.

The matter was expounded upon by chief technical inspector Ricky Brooks following the awarding of the Tom Dawson Trophy to official winner Travis Braden.

“It had titanium (brake) piston caps all the way around the entire car,” Brooks explained. “It’s blatant in the rule book; there’s no titanium allowed. They were fastened to an aluminum piston and aluminum (brake) caliper, and what that does is keeps the heat from sinking into the caliper and the piston. They were drilled to keep from holding the heat going into an aluminum piston and aluminum caliper.”

Brooks noted that the practice does hold an advantage, but couldn’t say for sure if it was a difference-maker for Nasse Monday night. He also said it wasn’t something that could have been checked earlier in the week, during one of the pre-race inspection periods.

“Yes, there is an advantage (to it),” Brooks said. “I don’t know if it helped him win. But it’s like any other disqualification we’ve had here in the past. It’s in the rule book in black and white. If we don’t go by that, then none of this matters.

“It’s something inside the car that we just can’t check during the week,” Brooks added. “It’s no different than an illegal motor.”

As for Nasse, he opened up on the matter in a statement released to social media later in the night, while Travis Braden was celebrating with the Tom Dawson Trophy that Nasse originally hoisted on the frontstretch in a throng of team members, fans and supporters.

“I need to start by saying that I have the best guys in the business behind me. My Jett Motorsports guys are amazing and we had two badass cars,” Nasse wrote. “I drove from 36th to first with no power steering. We also have the best people supporting us, and one of those are Brembo Brakes, who I highly recommend for all your brake needs.

“We left PFC Brakes (recently) because they weren’t willing to help us and were playing favorites,” Nasse continued. “The first thing that tech asked us to do is remove the brakes, because they had a ‘tip’ from their major supporter at PFC Brakes, Chris Dilbeck. In our brake system, there was a small titanium cap which does not enhance performance at all.”

Dilbeck responded to Nasse’s allegation in his own statement on social media Tuesday morning, noting that he wanted to see the race won on the race track just as anyone else would.

“I don’t want to see any race decided in tech,” Dilbeck said. “It was unfortunate that PFC didn’t win the race on the race track. I feel like PFC probably had the best car of the day, along with the vast majority of the field. Myself, representing PFC at the Snowball Derby, I try to help every PFC customer to the best of my ability to go win the race.

“It’s very unfortunate that the race was decided in tech. At the same time, the car that won the race (Braden) was not a PFC customer either,” continued Dilbeck. “Stephen Nasse is a great race car driver, and we were glad to have him on PFC (for) the time that we did. I enjoy watching him race just like any other race fan.”

Nasse pointed out later in his statement that last year’s winning Snowball Derby car, the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 of Noah Gragson, had an engine which was ultimately regulated via Balance of Performance regulations.

The Hamner race engine was heavily talked about among industry members during the first half of the year. A dyno test from last December revealed an observed power advantage, which was later regulated.

“Last year, the winning car was cleared with an illegal motor, which was an advantage,” wrote Nasse. “This sport is nothing but playing favorites. I’ve been the classy guy and the nasty guy (over the years).”

While Nasse has no plans of backing down going into 2020, his dejection Monday night was clear, and understandable as well.

“At the end of the day, I’m just a guy trying to be the best I can,” Nasse said. “To win the biggest race of my life and have it taken away like this just sucks. I appreciate all the support.”

Monday night was the third disqualification at the Snowball Derby in the last seven years. Chase Elliott was bounced in 2013 for having a tungsten weight in his car instead of lead, handing Erik Jones his second Derby win. Christopher Bell lost out in 2015 for a weight violation, with Elliott the official winner.

MILLSBORO, Del. – The seventh year for the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco is poised to be the strongest to date.

The series schedule of events encompasses five states, two regions for both the modified and crate 602 sportsman divisions and – for the first time – a trip to Florida for the inaugural Sunshine Swing mini-series in February.

The STSS Modified Halmar International North Region is comprised of 10 events, launching at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., on Sunday, April 19 and capping off the series at the Legendary House of Power as a kickoff to Eastern States Weekend in October.

Afton (N.Y.) Motorsports Park, under the direction of Ron Ford, expands to two dates this season, the =Afton Action 50 in on Tuesday, June 16 and the 13th edition of the Short Track SuperNationals in October. The Working Man’s Race of 2019 was a decorated success in its return to the fairgrounds facility last October.

Single stops are planned for Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, N.Y. (Wednesday, May 13), Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, N.Y. (Sunday, May 24), Big Diamond Speedway in Minersville, Pa. (Tuesday, June 2, combination North & South), Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway (Wednesday, July 1), Accord (N.Y.) Speedway (Tuesday, July 14) and Woodhull (N.Y.) Raceway (Tuesday, Aug. 11).

The Velocita-USA South Region presented by Design for Vision and Sunglass Central starts in March at Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway with the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial paying $10,049 to win Friday-Saturday March 6-7 (weather date: March 13-14). The historic Georgetown oval again serves as a home base of the STSS South Region with three events including the Blast at the Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 25 and the Mid-Atlantic Championship Friday-Saturday Oct. 30-31.

Other stops on the eight-race tour include Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway (Sunday, March 22), Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del. (Wednesday, April 29), Bridgeport (N.J.) Motorsports Park, now under the ownership of Doug Rose (Wednesday, May 27), Big Diamond Speedway (Tuesday, June 2) and BAPS Motor Speedway in Newberrytown, Pa. (Sunday, July 19).

For the second consecutive year, the STSS will offer Crate 602 Sportsman North and South Region series, six races each. The North Region visits Thunder Mountain (May 24), Afton (June 16), Fonda (July 1), Accord (July 14), Woodhull (Aug. 16) and Afton (Oct. 9-10).

The South arm of the STSS Crate 602 Sportsman series has three stops at Georgetown (March 6-7, Aug. 25 & Oct. 30-31), a visit to Delaware Int’l (April 29), Bridgeport (May 27) and Big Diamond (June 2).

For the first time, the series heads to Florida Feb. 5-8 at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Fla., approximately one hour west of Jacksonville. The Sunshine Swing mini-series kicks off Wednesday with open practice followed by modified and crate 602 sportsman competition Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The lucrative Grand Champion promotion will be available through Sunoco Race Fuels distributor Insinger Performance of Dushore, Pa. Should a driver win the STSS Modified North or South Region and the home-track American Racer Cup, that driver will receive a $10,000 cash bonus. Should a driver win the North and South Regions plus the American Racer Cup, the number climbs to $25,000.

Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco 2020 Schedule

Feb. 5-8 – All-Tech Raceway – Lake City, Fla. (pre-season special event)

March 6-7 – Georgetown Speedway – Georgetown, Del. (South Region)

March 22 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, Pa. (South Region)

April 19 – Orange County Fair Speedway – Middletown, N.Y. (North Region)

April 29 – Delaware Int’l Speedway – Delmar, Del. (South Region)

May 13 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, N.Y. (North Region)

May 24 – Thunder Mountain Speedway – Center Isle, N.Y. (North Region)

May 27 – Bridgeport Speedway – Bridgeport, N.J. (South Region)

June 2 – Big Diamond Speedway – Minersville, Pa. (North & South Region)

June 16 – Afton Motorsports Park – Afton, N.Y. (North Region)

July 1 – Fonda Speedway – Fonda, N.Y. (North Region)

July 14 – Accord Speedway – Accord, N.Y. (North Region)

July 19 – BAPS Motor Speedway – Newberrytown, Pa. (South Region)

Aug. 11 – Woodhull Raceway – Woodhull, N.Y. (North Region)

Aug. 25 – Georgetown Speedway – Georgetown, Del. (South Region)

Oct. 9-10 – Afton Motorsports Park – Afton, N.Y. (North Region)

Oct. 22 – Orange County Fair Speedway – Middletown, N.Y. (North Region)

Oct. 30-31 – Georgetown Speedway – Georgetown, Del. (South Region)

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Ty Majeski had the car to beat in the closing stages of Monday night’s 52nd annual Snowball Derby, but a late restart in double overtime ripped the Tom Dawson Trophy from his fingers.

Majeski, who headed the field twice for 139 laps, was the leader coming to what would have been the white flag if not for a crash between Cole Butcher, Travis Braden and Jeremy Doss in the second corner.

Butcher got into Braden and looped Braden’s No. 26 around, setting in motion the chain of events that ultimately took Majeski’s dominance and ended it in one fell swoop.

The Seymour, Wis., native didn’t get as strong of a restart on lap 318 as he had the rest of the night, which left the inside lane nowhere to go behind him.

Third-running Casey Roderick got into the back of Majeski’s No. 91 and lifted the rear tires off the ground, sending Majeski spinning in a cloud of smoke after he bounced off of Nasse’s No. 51.

At that point, all hell broke loose.

Majeski’s car, sitting sideways as it was shoved down the frontstretch, was tagged by numerous cars from throughout the field. Those involved or eliminated from the race in the accident included Jeff Choquette, Roderick, polesitter Derek Thorn, Gio Bromante, John DeAngelis, Derek Kraus, Matt Craig, Michael Atwell, Brad May, Cole Moore and Chandler Smith.

A multi-time champion of the ARCA Midwest Tour, Majeski’s restarts were a topic of discussion in race control during the night, and the driver didn’t hesitate to call out the officiating crew for, in his eyes, generating the storm that led to the crash.

“They were just complaining about my restarts the entire race,” Majeski told SPEED SPORT. “The way they wanted to do it versus the way that turn three here at Pensacola is shaped … it just doesn’t work. I don’t know why they can’t just do NASCAR-style starts, with firing the box where the leader fires first and whatever happens after that goes. That’s pretty black and white in my opinion, but they wanted a gradual pickup.

“If you gradually pick it up in three and four here getting into three, then you can’t keep it off the bottom off four. They didn’t like my second to last restart, so on the last one I just did a slow gradual … and at that point you’re a sitting duck because the guy on the outside knows when you’re gonna go,” Majeski added. “The guy in third knows when you’re going to go. And when I went, the 22 just was in my back bumper cover and the rear wheel were lifted off the ground. I couldn’t go.

“I don’t understand why we need a slow-moving start for the Derby. It’s just ridiculous, really.”

Roderick admitted after the crash he just had nowhere else to go once he got into Majeski’s bumper.

“Majeski, the last few restarts, I wouldn’t say he was playing games, but race control was on him for being too slow,” Roderick said. “We picked it up the last couple. He jumped sideways when he got on the gas and got into (Nasse), and I was right there with him.

“I was looking to get under him if he slipped up any more, and he got sideways when he hit the 51.”

Race director Nicholas Rogers, in his first year at the helm of the Snowball Derby, met with the media following the race to discuss the restart procedures after first discussing things with Majeski.

“The procedure was to start increasing speed in turn three, slowly and steadily increasing all the way through until you come off of (turn) four to the start-finish line,” Rogers said. “You cannot pass until the start-finish line. Those are the rules as they are done by multiple series — CRA and the SRL (Southwest Tour) series out west. I’m pretty sure the ARCA Midwest Tour does this. I know tracks up north use that same procedure. We used this at New Smyrna during Speedweeks too.

“We’d never really had an issue with it. It keeps from people playing jackrabbit coming into the box and touching the brakes, where the first five, six, seven rows have zero issues, but the accordion backs up the rear and it tears a lot of race cars up,” Rogers continued. “This has kept that from happening and we’ve tore up a lot less race cars with these procedures. Going forward, you know, I’m not going to say there won’t be changes to minor issues or tweaks here and there.”

Majeski said he’ll be back in 2020 to the Derby, but still doesn’t agree with Rogers’ assessment.

“I came down here hoping to understand better what they wanted,” he said. “Personally, I hope they change it for next year, because the leader is just a sitting duck the way they want to do it here. … The way they want to restart the race just doesn’t work for the way this track is built. I hope they rethink their decision to change the rules, because it has never been like that in years past. This was new for this year.

“I just wanted some clarity on what they wanted, what I could have done differently and hopefully I can … not persuade them, but at least put it in their minds and let them think about it for next year. Because the way it is now and the way it went tonight … these are the best short track drivers in the country, and for the leader to not have some sort of an advantage (on the restart) is just ridiculous in my opinion.”

MILAN, Italy – Formula One teams have unanimously voted to retain the current Pirelli tire specifications ahead of the 2020 season.

The decision comes following the recent postseason test at the Yas Island Circuit in Abu Dhabi, where several teams spent time testing Pirelli’s proposed new tires that would have been utilized next season.

As a result of the vote, teams will no longer have to modify the designs of their 2020 cars, which would otherwise have been necessary to accommodate the different profile of the 2020 tire construction. This also allows teams to continue the development of their 2020 cars without being interrupted.

The plan now is for Pirelli to continue developing 18-inch tires, which will be used during the 2021 season and the next generation of Formula One cars. The 18-inch tires will allow for lower tire pressure settings, which would compensate for the increased performance expected from the next generation of F-1 cars.

Testing of the 2021 tires will continue next season, with a test scheduled in Jerez, Spain in February alongside the Ferrari Formula One team.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – Set to kick off its annual industry-only Trade Show in Indianapolis, Ind., Performance Racing Industry has announced that it will live broadcast the Grand Opening Breakfast via the company’s Facebook feed.

Starting at 7:45 a.m. EST on Thursday, the broadcast can be viewed at facebook.com/performanceracing.

This is a unique opportunity for motorsports professionals and enthusiasts alike to view the opening breakfast, which will feature a Q&A panel with Don Schumacher and the DSR team.

Hosted by SPEED SPORT’s Ralph Sheheen, the event expects an audience of 3,000 attendees in the Sagamore Ballroom of the Indiana Convention Center. PRI General Manager Bill Miller will open the breakfast with remarks on the newly released PRI Mission Statement.

Racing industry media and businesses can live stream the opening breakfast directly from your Facebook pages as well, through crossposting.

Contact PRI Marketing Manager Jon Shakill at [email protected] for simple instructions on how you can stream the breakfast live directly from your business Facebook page.

For more information on the PRI Grand Opening Breakfast with the DSR team, click here.

The United States has dominated the Presidents Cup, and oddsmakers don't expect that trend to change this week at Royal Melbourne.

The Americans have lost only once in the 25-year history of the event, although that defeat did come at this same venue back in 1998. But Tiger Woods' squad is a heavy favorite based on world rankings and the oddsmakers at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook have positioned them similarly at the betting window.

The U.S. team is listed as a -250 favorite, meaning bettors must risk $250 for every $100 they hope to win. The Internationals are +260 underdogs, meaning their backers will win $260 for every $100 wagered.

And if you're expecting history to repeat itself in terms of a duel between Woods and Ernie Els ending in a draw like it did at the 2003 Presidents Cup, you can get 14/1 odds that the event will end exactly in a 15-15 tie.

Here's a look at odds on which individual will rack up the most points for each team, with Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama the respective favorites:

American top scorer

5/1 Justin Thomas

6/1 Xander Schauffele

7/1 Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson

10/1 Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler

12/1 Tiger Woods, Tony Finau

14/1 Bryson DeChambeau, Webb Simpson, Gary Woodland

20/1 Matt Kuchar

International top scorer

9/2 Hideki Matsuyama

5/1 Adam Scott

6/1 Louis Oosthuizen

8/1 Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im

14/1 Joaquin Niemann, Byeong-Hun An

18/1 Haotong Li, Abraham Ancer, Adam Hadwin

35/1 C.T. Pan

Patrick Reed's bunker antics at the Hero World Challenge have stayed with him despite a flight that took him halfway around the world.

Reed became the center of attention for all the wrong reasons over the weekend in the Bahamas, docked two shots for improving his lie after video evidence showed him moving sand away from behind his ball on two different practice swings. Reed defended himself at the time, saying a different camera angle would have exonerated his actions, and he doubled down Tuesday when speaking to reporters at the Presidents Cup.

"If you do something unintentionally that's breaking the rules, it's not considered cheating," Reed said. "I wasn't intentionally trying to improve a lie or anything like that, because if I was, it would have been a really good lie and I would have hit it really close."

But those defenses have not kept opponents like Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman from voicing their displeasure over his actions, and Tuesday even one of his teammates got in the mix when Justin Thomas found an unpleasant lie in one of the greenside bunkers during a practice round at Royal Melbourne.

After walking into the bunker, Thomas called over to Reed, "P-Reed, is this right?" as he took a pair of practice backswings that each dislodged some sand from behind the ball:

Big Picture

We're at that point again, and it seems we've been here before. Yet another massive hurdle has been jumped over as Pakistan scramble their way back to what nearly every other cricketing nation takes for granted: playing home matches at home. This time, Test cricket is back in the country, finally, bringing the curtain down on an exile that began when Sri Lanka were targeted by a terror attack midway through a Test match. Ten years and nine months on, Sri Lanka return to finish what had been left uncompleted.

Since that terrible day, Sri Lanka have been here, for T20 cricket and for ODIs. But those seemed very much like experimental tours, investments that would pay off in the long term if they went off without incident. On both occasions when they came to Pakistan - in 2017 and 2019 - several players pulled out, but this time Sri Lanka arrive with a full-strength side. And it is for Test cricket.

The talk from them has centred around the sport itself, on selection and strategy. They aren't here to play a role in a feel-good Pakistan narrative, no matter how noble their part. They'd much rather walk away with the trophy and Test Championship points.

On the cricketing front, Pakistan are beset by poor results; they have lost their last seven completed matches across formats, culminating in a wretched 2-0 Test series defeat to Australia, where Pakistan failed to make the hosts bat twice in either Test. It is part of a wider malaise in the longest format which has seen the side lose 17 of their last 24 Test matches, and slip down the rankings from one to eight.

More specifically, the opening combination is still up in the air and, Babar Azam aside, the form of the middle order remains far from convincing. And the retirements of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, and persistent injuries to Hasan Ali, mean the pace-bowling department is particularly green - though perhaps still exciting.

To further complicate matters for Pakistan, Sri Lanka come to Rawalpindi with a solid recent record in Tests away from home. After the UAE became Pakistan's "home venue" following that 2009 terror attack, Sri Lanka were the first side to beat Pakistan in a Test series there, in 2017. That was followed up by a series win in Bangladesh and, most impressively of all, a 2-0 series win in South Africa earlier this year.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLLL (last five Tests, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWWL

In the spotlight

This series may be a career highlight for every participating Pakistan player, but no one has as much of a personal point to prove as Fawad Alam. His continued absence from the international set-up had been something of a curiosity in Pakistani cricket, with several selection committees overlooking him for players with inferior domestic records. No one has scored more runs in first-class cricket in Pakistan than him over the past five years, and demands for his inclusion became something of a cause celebre in Pakistani cricket circles. Called up fresh off the back of a double-hundred in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Fawad is aware this may be the only chance he gets to press his claim for a regular place in the side.

Sri Lanka's backroom staff is as intriguing in the context of this series. Less than six months ago, the Sri Lanka head coach and batting coach occupied those roles in the Pakistan set-up, while the fielding coach is widely credited as having improved the fielding fortunes of the Pakistan side in his two years with the team. Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower and Steve Rixon's intimate knowledge of Pakistan cricket is unlikely to do any harm to Sri Lanka's chances.

Team news

Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq are set to continue being opening partners, while Usman Shinwari is expected to slot into the pace attack. Pakistan may have a call to make on the middle order, where there appears to be just one slot for Fawad and Haris Sohail to contest.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Shan Masood, 3 Azhar Ali (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Haris Sohail/Fawad Alam, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Usman Shinwari, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Mohammad Abbas

Sri Lanka were dealt a blow on the day of their departure with Suranga Lakmal ruled out with dengue fever, and young pacer Asitha Fernando taking his place. That leaves them with a few tough decisions on the bowling front. Do they go in with a bright but inexperienced attack featuring left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, and quicks Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara, or do they put offspinner Dilruwan Perera in there as a chaperone? They may also think about swapping out Kusal Perera - he has been in poor form for the past six months - for Dinesh Chandimal.

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Kusal Perera/Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Lasith Embuldeniya, 9 Vishwa Fernando, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

Rain is expected for significant parts of days two and three.

The pitch was covered on match eve, meaning the strip is a bit of an unknown, though batting first is likely the way to go.

Stats and trivia

• No player from either side has ever played a Test match in Pakistan.

• Sri Lanka have only ever played one Test in Rawalpindi, a thriller the visitors won by two wickets in 2000.

• Pakistan have lost six Test matches in a row in a run stretching back to December 2018.

ICC chairman Shashank Manohar has indicated that he will not seek to continue in the seat when his current term ends in May 2020. Despite having the option of serving for another two years, Manohar was quoted as saying by The Hindu, "I am not interested in continuing for another two-year term."

ICC's rules allow a chairman to serve a maximum of three terms if he or she is re-elected every two years. Manohar became the global body's first independent chairman in 2016, and then was re-elected in 2018. On both occasions he was, as the sole nominee, elected unanimously by ICC directors.

He remains popular with a majority of the ICC board's 15 directors, which includes an independent woman director, the former Pepsico chairperson, Indra Nooyi. Imran Khawaja, the ICC deputy chairman, is believed to have met Manohar recently, asking him to continue for another term.

"Majority of directors have requested me to continue but I have told them that I do not wish to," Manohar said. "I have been the chairman for nearly five years. I am very clear, I do not want to continue from June 2020. My successor will be known next May. He has to be elected in May to take charge after me at the annual conference."

Manohar's tenure has been, in some ways, transformative. When he was BCCI president between 2015-16, Manohar became the first heavyweight administrator to call out the constitutional revamp of the ICC, devised by the Big Three, for "bullying".

Once he took charge as the independent chairman, Manohar rolled back the Big Three's revamp, brought in a new financial distribution model, changed the governance structure of the ICC Board and brought in an independent woman director for the first time. In the last two years, he has overseen the ICC management's plan to introduce the the World Test Championship and the ODI League, to be launched from May 2020.

His decision to not seek another term is thought to have caught the ICC management by surprise, and it is not immediately clear why he is choosing not to continue. One reason could be that Manohar is simply not inclined to chair the ICC anymore, that he is less motivated now because the ICC faces lesser challenges compared to when he took charge in 2016.

Another potential reason could be health. The October round of ICC meetings were moved from Sydney to Dubai because Manohar couldn't get on a long-haul flight to Australia: he had been advised not to do so by doctors.

An ICC director who met Manohar recently told him that they needed his strong leadership now that an elected BCCI administration was back in power. The director feared that the BCCI, using its clout, could possibly once again endanger the various reforms the ICC had adopted, or is in the process of adopting.

Although enjoys a strong support at the ICC, Manohar has polarised opinion within the BCCI where several members - among the state associations - have been critical of him for hurting India's interests when he rolled back the Big Three revamp.

As per the election rules, only a current or former ICC director can contest for the chairman's position. Each director can nominate one candidate. Nominees with the support of at least two directors are eligible to contest the election.