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England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] has announced on Friday that their chairman Colin Graves has decided to step down from his position on August 31, following the postponement of The Hundred tournament to next year.

Collin Graves was appointed as chairman of ECB in May 2015, and now he is expected to take over the place of Shashank Manohar as the next chairman of International Cricket Council [ICC].

Earlier, Graves agreed for an extension till November this year to oversee the inaugural season of the most awaited 100-ball tournament, decided to end his term early after the cash-rich tournament was postponed due to the massive outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

“With the launch of The Hundred unavoidably moved to 2021, I have reviewed last year’s extension of my term as Chair, and put a request to the Board to now finish early, on August 31,” Graves said in a statement.

“There is still much to be done in the coming months as I continue to lead the ECB during this challenging time. As we get closer to August I will look forward to saying my farewells and sharing good wishes to all those I have worked alongside," He added.

Accordingly, the ECB Board on this Wednesday unanimously ratified Watmore’s appointment as Chair-Elect after being upheld in the AGM at the end of the month.

“It feels important to both the game and the ECB Board, to allow Ian Watmore to commence his role earlier than originally agreed. I have no doubt that his wealth of experience in sport, business and government will be invaluable as we navigate through this crisis,” Graves said.