Morris provides a third option for the counties and the ECB

The 68-year-old was general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union and is an ECB independent member.

He originally did not want to replace David Morgan, who is the International Cricket Council's next president.

But after a vote between Mike Soper and Somerset chief Giles Clarke was tied, Morris will stand in the second ballot.

Each candidate must be proposed by the chairman of a first-class county or cricket law-makers the MCC and find two seconders and the closing date for nominations will be 1700 BST on 3 September.

Morris had been tipped to stand in the original vote but it ended up as a two-way battle between former Surrey chairman Mike Soper and current Somerset chairman Giles Clarke.

Both polled nine votes each, with either a county or the MCC choosing not to vote, forcing a second round.

Both Soper and Clarke confirmed their intention to stand again but will now be joined by Jamaican-born Morris, who was head of the T&G from 1992-2003.

"Last time I kept reading that I was a candidate but that was not the case," Morris explained.

"This time, as a first part of the process, I have written to all the county chairman to say that I would like to stand and become chairman of the ECB."