New Delhi, Apr 18 (IANS): Contrary to media reports, the Indian cricket board is rallying behind beleagured Indian Premier League (IPL) supremo Lalit Modi and the board president has nominated him to attend the two-day hig-profile International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Dubai from Monday.

Ever since Modi's spat with Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor over the ownership of Kochi franchise started, there have been reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) top-brass would be clipping the wings of its vice president to discipline him.

But a top scource in the BCCI told IANS that it was not the case and board president Shashank Manohar has nominated Modi to attend the meeting on his behalf.

The board meeting is of prime importance as the ICC will decide on the nomination of former Australian prime minister John Howard for the post of vice president 2010-12 and subsequently as president 2012-14.

Howard's name was proposed by Australia and New Zealand and during its two-day meeting, the ICC Executive Board will be invited to accept this and then propose Howard as the nominee to the ICC Annual Conference to be held in the last week of June.

Tharoor and Modi are embroiled in a raging row after Modi alleged that the minister wanted him to suppress details of Kochi's shareholding pattern, especially the stakes of his friend Sunanda Pushkar, who is a Dubai based businesswoman.