The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Sumati Dharmavardhan as the new chairman of the Anti-Corruption Unit. Sumati Dharmavardhan will replace Sir Ronnie Flanagan, who is retiring after 14 years in the post.

Sumati Dharamvardhan will take charge from November 1

While releasing the official statement ICC wrote,

The Chairman of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing and leading the ACU, which is managed at the executive level by the General Manager-Integrity. Shri Dharam Vardhan will take charge of this post from November 1, 2024.”

Talking about the previous role of Sumathi Dharmawardhana, she has worked as Additional Solicitor General in the Attorney General Department of Sri Lanka. As a part of this, he has represented the government and its sports ministry in several legal issues.

Dharmavardhan has also worked with Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. As a component of this, he has been part of the investigation panel related to corruption in sports and has also overseen the prosecution under the Prevention of Offenses in Sports Act.

The tenure of ACU head Alex Marshall is also ending in November.

ACU chief Alex Marshall is also due to end his seven-year term at the end of November. His role was primarily to monitor initiatives to reduce the presence of corruption in cricket. This included investigating suspicious activities, enforcing anti-corruption regulations, as well as educating players and officials regarding the topic of integrity in cricket.

Marshall has previously been a senior police officer in the United Kingdom. His main purpose in joining the ICC’s ACU was to use his background in law enforcement, and it has been quite successful in protecting the interests of cricket on the global stage.