The pair are the only candidates for the role after Sunday's (October 18) deadline to apply passed, according to the Times of India.

An election is scheduled for December but no details on how it will work, or who is standing, have been officially confirmed by the ICC.

The ballot was triggered after India's Shashank Manohar formally stood down as chairman in July.

Khwaja, who has been serving as interim chair, will reportedly require just six out of 16 possible votes to remain in his position.

He is said to have backing from Pakistan and Indra Nooyi, the ICC's first independent female director.

Barclay, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket since 2016, has the support of powerhouses India, England and Australia, the Times of India said.

However, he is said to need 11 out of the 16 votes to be successful.

Ex-England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves was widely tipped to enter the race but failed to attract enough support, according to The Guardian.

Dave Cameron, the former Cricket West Indies President, had also said he would run but has apparently not made the list.

The process to choose Manohar's replacement has been hit by delays after the ICC opened a confidentiality investigation following the leak of a letter regarding a proposal to postpone this year's T20 World Cup.

Critics claimed Khwaja was deliberately stalling the process to ensure he remained in the role.