Calcutta: Tony Lewis isn’t exactly uncomfortable at the prospect of the next two International Cricket Council (ICC) presidents being politicians, but does feel that, “ideally,” the position should be held by former cricketers.

India’s Sharad Pawar, a Union minister, will take over from David Morgan this June.

India’s Sharad Pawar, a Union minister, will take over from David Morgan this June, while his successor, in 2012, could be an ex-Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard.

Whether it’s going to be Howard or New Zealand’s Sir John Anderson would become clear in the near future.

“I believe that whoever runs cricket (as the ICC president) should have cricket running through his veins... Politicians aren’t a special breed... The cricket content in the mind, clearly, is vital...

“Sure, you need businessmen and politicians alongside (former cricketers), but I don’t think you need to be led by them,” Lewis, an ex-captain of England and a former president of the iconic institution, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), told The Telegraph.

Lewis was in the city for the Royal Calcutta Golf Club-organised Royals Trophy. The MCC, incidentally, remains the guardian of the laws of cricket.