LONDON, May 2: India's Jagmohan Dalmiya will take over as the first president of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the world body announced here today.

Dalmiya, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, will assume the reins after the ICC's annual conference at Lord's scheduled from June 11 to 16, a release from the ICC Chief Executive David Richards said.

Making the formal announcement from the ICC headquarters Sir Clyde Walcott, the ICC chairman who will chair the June meeting when his term ends, said Dalmiya would retire as BCCI secretary once he becomes the ICC President.

Sir Clyde -- the former West Indian great who will be the last chairman of ICC as ICC heads from Dalmiya onwards would be presidents as per the new system adopted -- gave details of the process which led to Dalmiya's election as ICC chief.

``The ICC member countries have adopted a new system of governance in which a full member is elected as the president country. That country in turn nominates the person for the position,'' the release quoted Sir Clyde as saying.

India was unanimously elected ``president country'' at the ICC Special General Meeting held at Kuala Lumpur on March 23 during the ICC Cup and BCCI has since informed that Dalmiya has been chosen to take office for a three-year term.

Accepting the appointment, Dalmiya deemed it a great honour for Indian cricket and for him personally. ``To follow a man of the stature of Sir Clyde will not be easy, but I am very encouraged by the unity among member countries and will do all that I can to lift cricket to great heights,'' it added.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.