Cricket-Kumble comes in to bat for Lloyd at ICC committee

MUMBAI Oct 11 (Reuters) - Former India captain Anil Kumble has been named the new head of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) cricket committee, replacing former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd, the global governing body said on Thursday.

The 16-member committee meets twice a year to consult on playing matters and offer recommendations to the ICC on technical aspects and rules of the sport.

In a separate reshuffle, committee member Ian Bishop did not seek an extension to his term and the former West Indies paceman was replaced by England's Andrew Strauss, who retired from all forms of cricket at the end of August.

The 41-year-old Kumble also heads the Indian cricket board's technical committee and remains the country's most successful bowler, claiming 619 test and 337 one-day international wickets with his leg-spin.

"I would like to thank Clive Lloyd for his chairmanship of the ICC cricket committee and to his tireless contribution to the game," ICC President Alan Isaac said in a statement.

"The ICC board were united in their admiration for his work as chairman. We also thank Ian Bishop for his contribution during his term as well.

"In Anil Kumble, we have a new chairman who has unquestioned experience not only as a player with India but also as an administrator with Karnataka State Cricket Association as well.

"I am sure that he will carry on Clive's good work and bring, like Andrew Strauss, contemporary thinking to the committee and both understand clearly the issues facing the modern game." (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by John O'Brien)