Sir Ronnie Flanagan to Retire

Sir Ronnie Flanagan, who has served as the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) independent chair since 2010, is set to retire at the end of October. This announcement follows news that ACU head Alex Marshall will also be stepping down in November.

Flanagan, a highly respected law enforcement officer, previously held prominent positions, including Home Office chief inspector of constabulary for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and was formerly the chief constable of the police service of Northern Ireland. He took over the ACU chair role from Lord Paul Condon, who stepped down in 2010 after a decade of service as the unit's inaugural head.

Condon was originally appointed by the ICC in 2000 to address the growing issue of match-fixing, which had plagued the sport at the time. His efforts led to life bans for international captains Mohammad Azharuddin, Saleem Malik, and the late Hansie Cronje, and he was instrumental in establishing measures to protect cricket from corruption.

As Condon prepared to leave, he warned that T20 cricket, particularly domestic franchise leagues, posed the greatest risk to the sport’s integrity. His concerns proved prescient when the IPL corruption scandal erupted in 2013. During the ICC annual conference that year, Flanagan urged cricket boards worldwide to implement stricter anti-corruption regulations to prosecute players, officials, and franchise owners involved in corrupt activities in T20 leagues.

The ICC has stated they plan to propose a new ACU chair during their quarterly meetings in October.