Jay Shah elected unopposed as new ICC chair

NewsAt 35, the current BCCI secretary will be the youngest ICC chair

Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the new ICC chair, replacing Greg Barclay. He will begin his new role on December 1.

At 35, Shah, currently the BCCI secretary, is the youngest to hold the post. Once Barclay, who had been the ICC chair for two terms since 2020, had confirmed to the board that he would not be continuing for a third term, the board of directors had until August 27 to file nominations for the next chair. Only if more than one candidate was nominated was there to be an election, but Shah was the only nominee.

“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalise cricket,” Shah said in an ICC statement. “We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before.

“While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways.”

In a statement released by the BCCI, Shah prioritised Test cricket and spoke about “allocating more resources to women’s cricket and differently-abled cricket.”

“I would also like to work towards setting up a separate program for talent search during my tenure, and I look forward to your support in this program,” Shah said. “While the T20 is a naturally exciting format, it is equally important that Test cricket remains a priority for everyone as it forms the bedrock of our game. We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal.

“I eagerly anticipate a tenure rich with collaborative efforts, striving to dismantle the barriers that have hindered cricket’s progress. Every challenge we face is an opportunity in disguise, and together, we will transform adversity into triumph. Let’s embark on this incredible journey, hand in hand, united by our passion for cricket and our belief in its extraordinary potential.”

Shah is the fifth Indian to head the ICC after Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar.

After beginning his cricket administration career in the state of Gujarat in 2009, Shah has been the BCCI secretary since October 2019. It was in 2022 that he became a part of the ICC’s influential Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee and took over as its chair in 2023. Shah was also re-elected as BCCI secretary in 2022 and his tenure was to run until 2025. Once he takes over as the ICC chair, he will have to relinquish his position at the BCCI and at the ICC’s F&CA committee. Shah was also the Asian Cricket Council president from 2021 to 2024.