ICC's Richardson on Warwickshire shortlist

David Richardson, chief executive of the ICC, and the former England one-day coach Ashley Giles have been identified as potential candidates for the role of chief executive at Warwickshire.

While the role has not been advertised - and it would therefore be incorrect to suggest the pair have applied for the job - head-hunters have been appointed to identify a short-list of candidates and both men are thought to be viable options.

Richardson is in the final 12-months of his ICC contract, where he has limited executive powers, while Giles, director of cricket with Lancashire, has a long history with Warwickshire as player and coach.

Richardson, contacted by ESPNcricinfo in connection with the news, insisted that "it was the first he had heard of it" and stated "my contract with ICC is until at least the end of June next year and I have no desire to leave prematurely."

That fell a long way short of raising expectations that he saw his future at ICC as long term.

A Warwickshire official, while refusing to confirm any of the candidates, did state intriguingly that "it is about getting the right person; not about getting the wrong person available on the right date."

"It is always flattering to be linked to such jobs," Giles told ESPNcricinfo. "But I have a huge job here with Lancashire and I'm really thinking of nothing else at present." Lancashire are involved in T20 finals day on Saturday and are all but certain to clinch Championship promotion.

Colin Povey, the current Warwickshire CEO, has announced his intention to retire at the end of the year after a decade in the role.

While Povey has overseen a successful redevelopment of Edgbaston and sustained success on the pitch, the job he leaves behind will remain challenging. While Warwickshire have an excellent allocation of major matches over the next few years including an Ashes Test and a World Cup semi-final in 2019, an India Test in 2018 and a Champions Trophy semi-final in 2017, they will also have a major debt problem long into the future.

Warwickshire borrowed around £20m to finance their ground redevelopment. They have already taken advantage of a "payment holiday" with their main creditor - Birmingham City Council - and are thought to have pre-sold their Ashes revenues from this year to generate cash flow in previous months. It would be no surprise if they approached the ECB in 2016 for financial assistance.

That is not especially unusual and does not necessarily mean the club is in trouble. But it does underline the fact that the job will be demanding and may require a candidate with a track record of financial management.

The club's finance director, Craig Flindall, and the club's commercial director, Gareth Roberts, are also thought likely to apply though the interview panel may conclude that, with such experience already available to the club - and the club chairman, Norman Gascoigne, also comes from a banking background - they are better served with candidates of cricketing pedigree such as Richardson and Giles.