Tavengwa Mukuhlani becomes the first Zimbabwean appointed as ICC Deputy Chair

Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani has been appointed Deputy Chair of the International Cricket Council, the first Zimbabwean to hold the office

The ICC Board confirmed the appointment on Thursday, installing Mukuhlani as its Deputy Chairperson until November 2027. He succeeds Imran Khwaja, who left the Board earlier this year.

The move gives Zimbabwe its most senior seat in world cricket administration at a point when the country is preparing to co-host the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 alongside South Africa and Namibia.

Mukuhlani has represented Zimbabwe Cricket on the ICC Board for several years and already holds three committee roles inside the organisation.

Succeeding Khwaja after the Edinburgh vote

Khwaja's departure was not of his own choosing. At the ICC's Annual Conference in Edinburgh on 8 July, Associate Members voted for three directors and the long-serving Singaporean finished outside them.

France's Gurumurthy Palani topped the ballot with 35 votes, ahead of the UAE's Mubashir Usmani and Namibia's Rudie van Vuuren on 26 apiece. Khwaja polled 23 and Malaysia's Mahinda Vallipuram 19, from 129 votes cast by 43 eligible members.

Khwaja had been the Associate Members' most prominent voice at board level for years, serving as deputy to N Srinivasan, Greg Barclay and Jay Shah, and holding the chairmanship on an interim basis in 2020.

The ICC's statement confirmed only that Mukuhlani "succeeds Imran Khwaja following his departure from the Board".

A decade in charge at Zimbabwe Cricket

Mukuhlani has chaired Zimbabwe Cricket since 2015 and has been re-elected three times.

His tenure has covered the board's recovery from debt, an ICC suspension imposed over government interference, and the arrival of Zimbabwe's women's team on the Future Tours Programme.

He was confirmed as chairman of the Africa Cricket Association in July 2025, appointed unanimously by the body's 23 member associations at their annual general meeting in Singapore after holding the role on an interim basis.

Three committees inside the ICC

Mukuhlani sits on the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee and its Nominations Committee, and chairs the HR and Remuneration Committee.

Those roles had already placed him across the governing body's finances and its senior appointments before this week's promotion.

Shah points to Olympic expansion

ICC Chairman Jay Shah said Mukuhlani's "experience in cricket administration, understanding of the global game and commitment to its development will be invaluable to the ICC Board", adding that "Tavengwa has earned the confidence of his fellow Directors".

Shah also framed the appointment against the sport's widening map. "With cricket expanding globally and returning to the Olympic Games, strong leadership will be vital," he said.

Mukuhlani said he was "deeply honoured by the confidence placed in me by my fellow ICC Board Directors", and that he looked forward to working with Shah, "whose leadership, energy and ambition have brought a clear sense of purpose to the ICC".

A World Cup returning to Africa

The ICC said the appointment comes at a significant time for African cricket, with the 2027 World Cup returning the tournament to the continent after 24 years.

Zimbabwe will co-host that event with South Africa and Namibia, having spent the past decade rebuilding its standing in the game.

It is a rare turn in the spotlight for a side that is not part of the World Test Championship and missed the last two ODI World Cups and the most recent T20 World Cup, but qualifies for 2027 as a host.

Mukuhlani's term as Deputy Chair runs to November 2027, covering the ICC's preparations for that World Cup and the build-up to cricket's return to the Olympic Games.

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