Giles Clarke is set to be re-elected as chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after the former Conservative Party treasurer, Lord Marland, pulled out of the race.

Marland's withdrawal means that there are no other candidates to oust Clarke from the position he has held since replacing David Morgan in September 2007. A controversial multi-million-pound deal with Texan millionaire, Sir Allen Stanford, coupled with the highly-publicised rift between the former England captain, Kevin Pietersen, and former England coach, Peter Moores, led Marland to believe that he was capable of successfully challenging Clarke.

However, it now appears that Marland would not have been able to secure the necessary number of votes needed to win the forthcoming election. Marland said: "It is now clear to me that I will on this occasion be unable to obtain a majority of the votes required, and faced with the continued refusal of several counties to even meet with me, it is with disappointment that I am today announcing my withdrawal from the election for the chairmanship of the ECB."

Once formally announced as the successful candidate, Clarke will start a two-year term from 1 April.