In a rather sudden development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked its Chief Executive Officer Manu Sawhney to go on leave. The move comes after an investigation by audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) over his authoritarian style of functioning. Sawhney had replaced Dave Richardson in 2019 when Shashank Manohar was the chairman of the world body.
According to reports, the CEO has fallen afoul with his staff for alleged “abrasive behaviour”, something he was also accused of in his previous employment in Singapore. In the Dubai office of the world cricket body, more than 90 per cent of the employees reportedly deposed against him in the inquiry.
Reports have further said Sawhney’s ‘authoritarian style of functioning’ was much different from the inclusive approach of his predecessor and understandably it has not gone down well with the employees. The 56-year-old hasn’t been attending office for some time and was asked to go on leave on Tuesday.
Sawhney, who had one more year left in his current tenure, was previously associated with Singapore Sports Hub and prior to that functioned as the head of ESPN Star Sports, also in Singapore, for 17 years.
