'We must respect both the ICC protocol and our own protocol in deciding which candidate to back,' said CSA president Chris Nenzani in a statement.
Cricket South Africa on Friday played down their Director Graeme Smith's open backing of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly for the ICC chairman's post and said a protocol would be followed before offering support to any candidate.
File image of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. Getty Images
Former skipper Smith, who is now CSA's director of cricket, on Thursday supported Ganguly for the ICC top job, saying a "cricket man" like the ex-India captain would be ideal to lead the apex body at this juncture.
However, a day after, the CSA was treading a different path.
"We must respect both the ICC protocol and our own protocol in deciding which candidate to back," said CSA president Chris Nenzani in a statement.
"There have been no candidates nominated as yet and once such nominations have been made the Board of CSA will take its decision in terms of its own protocol and give the chairman the mandate to exercise his vote as an ICC Board Director accordingly."
A day before, Smith had said: "From our perspective, it would be great to see a cricket man like Sourav Ganguly maybe getting into the President's role of the ICC."
"I think that will be good for the game; I think it will be good for the modern game as well. He understands it, he has played it at the highest level, he is respected, and his leadership will be key to us going forward," he added.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
Veteran all-rounder Mathews is the first Sri Lankan cricketer to win the award since its inception in January 2021 while spin sensation Hassan is the first female Pakistani cricketer to join the elite club.
A young cricketer from Hyderabad in the southern Sindh province attempted suicide after he was not selected for his home team in the Pakistan Cricket Board's inter-city championship.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Live: Sri Lanka take on Australia in Colombo having already clinched the ODI series.