Mervyn King, who spent a decade as governor of the Bank of England, is to succeed Mark Nicholas as president of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Nicholas has been recommended to the club's committee to take over as president when his term ends in October and King succeeds him.
King and Nicholas co-founded the Chance to Shine charity in 2005, which works with around 600,000 children and young people each year and aims to "reinvigorate" state school cricket. King has also described his election to the role as "one of the proudest moments of my life", having served as president of Worcestershire in 2015 and 2016.
King's appointment is part of a shift in MCC's role in English cricket. The club is likely to be given a 51% stake in London Spirit, the hundred team that plays at Lord's, by the ECB if current proposals to open up the tournament to private investment are approved by the first-class counties.