NEW DELHI, Aug 27: The general secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah, has been elected unopposed as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He will assume the position of Independent Chair of the ICC on 1 December, 2024.
His election as the ICC chairman was almost decided after the current ICC Chair Greg Barclay announced on August 20 that he would not seek a third term and would step down at the conclusion of his tenure in November. Shah, who was the sole nominee for the chairmanship, emphasised his commitment to expanding the global reach and popularity of cricket, especially with its upcoming inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics.
“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council,” Mr Shah, who will turn 36 next month, said. “I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket. 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,” Mr Shah, the son of the union home minister Amit Shah, said.
Mr Shah is currently also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). However, he will now have to resign from that post before taking over the world cricket body. He has been serving as the BCCI secretary since October 2019 and Chair of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021.
Shah’s election marks a new chapter for the ICC as it seeks to expand the game’s reach and continue its evolution on the global stage. He is the fifth Indian to hold a prominent post at the International Cricket Council. N. Srinivasan (2014-15) and Shashank Manohar (2016-2020) have held the post of Chairman of the ICC while Jagmohan Dalmiya (1997 to 2000) and Sharad Pawar (2010-2012) are two Indians who have held the position of President of the International Cricket Council in the past.
(Manas Dasgupta)