On June 15th, 1909 representatives from England, Australia and South Africa  Foundation Members  met at Lords and founded the Imperial Cricket Conference. Membership was confined to the governing bodies of cricket within the British Commonwealth where Test Match cricket was played. 

In 1926 India, New Zealand and West Indies were elected as Full Members and were joined by Pakistan in 1953, Sri Lanka in 1981, Zimbabwe in 1992 and Bangladesh in 2000. South Africa, one of the three original Foundation Members, ceased to be a member of ICC on leaving the British Commonwealth in 1961, but was re-elected as a Full Member in 1991. 

In 1965, the Conference was renamed the International Cricket Conference and new rules adopted to permit the election of countries from outside the British Commonwealth. This led to the expansion of the Conference, with the admission of Associate Members. Associates were each entitled to one vote, while the Foundation and Full Members were entitled to two votes on ICC resolutions. Foundation Members retained a right of veto. 

Today the ICC has 27 Associate Members. An Associate Member is a cricket playing country where the game is firmly established and organised. The sole governing body for cricket in that country must be recognised by ICC. 

There are also 47 ICC Affiliate Members. Affiliates are categorised as having a governing body for cricket in that country or geographical area that is recognised by ICC and where cricket is played in accordance with the Laws of Cricket. Affiliate Member status excludes attendance, voting, proposing or seconding resolutions at ICC meetings. 

In 1989 new rules were adopted and the name changed to the International Cricket Council. The motivating factor behind this was the need to move the organisation from being a 'forum for discussion', in which only recommendations to Members could be made, to a body where binding decisions are taken for effective management of the game internationally. 

Four years later in 1993 the ICC appointed David Richards, a former chief executive of the Australian Cricket Board as its first chief executive and established a new administrative head office at Lord's cricket Ground. 

In July 2001 Malcolm Speed succeeded David Richards as Chief Executive Officer. Malcolm led the Australian Cricket Board with distinction from 1997, during which time the national team confirmed its position as the leading Test and One Day side in world cricket. He is a barrister by profession, holding a LLB from Melbourne University and practising as a solicitor from 1971 to 1982 and as a barrister between 1983 and 1994. 

He has been heavily involved in Australian basketball, being Executive Chairman of the National Basketball League between 1988 and 1997 and Executive Chairman of Basketball Australia from 1994 to 1997.