Former prime minister John Howard appears to have failed in his bid to become president of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICC executive board was expected to announce its official decision later on Thursday after its meeting in Singapore.
John Howard, rejected by cricket countries.Credit: Joe Armao
But The Australian reports Howard's candidacy for the vice-presidency was rejected overnight by the majority of Test-playing countries.
Six of the 10 major cricket nations had signed a letter opposing Howard as a candidate while another, Zimbabwe, did not sign but was one of the most vocal against him.
The Australian said Howard's only supporters were Australia, New Zealand and England, reinforcing the power of the Afro-Asia vote in world cricket.
Under a rotational five-region electoral process, Howard was the joint candidate from Australia and New Zealand and would normally have been rubber stamped as the next ICC vice-president months ago.
But what is usually a formality appointment became uncertain as Zimbabwe and South Africa questioned his suitability for the role given his hardline stance against Zimbabwe's Mugabe regime during his time as prime minister from March 1996 to December 2007.
The ICC is now set to be left without a vice-president, who serves a two-year term before becoming president for a further two years.
The void may be filled by New Zealand's former cricket board chairman Sir John Anderson, the man Howard beat to become the Australasian candidate.
AAP