Jay Shah Appointed New ICC Chairman, Set to Assume Role in December

Jay Shah Appointed New ICC Chairman, Set to Assume Role in December

Jay Shah was named as the International Cricket Council’s new chairman on Tuesday.

Shah, who has been the BCCI Secretary since October 2019 and Chair of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021, begins his stint in December with Greg Barclay ending his term on November 30.

At 35, Shah will become the youngest chairman in ICC history. He is one of the few Indian leaders active who have headed the ICC, having taken over as chairman from predecessors in this post including Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N. Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar.

Shah is the only candidate for the post and reiterated his pledge to further push cricket’s global penetration. He plans to increase the sport’s popularity, more so since cricket was admitted into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

I would like also to thank the Board for putting my name forwards to chair the International Cricket Council,” said Shah. “My vision will be in partnership with ICC team and our membership to strengthen the Global Cricket Ecosystem but concurrently introduce our sport to new territories and new fans.

This will need a combination of multiple formats, advanced technologies, and a broad-based calendar that optimizes cricket’s global reach. We want cricket to be more inclusive, global, and popular than ever.

It will be a great opportunity to build on previous lessons and incorporate new ideas as we continue to grow the game of cricket globally,” Shah said in a statement.

“Inclusion in the Olympics in LA 2028 is a critical achievement, and I am excited to see how this will take the sport to the next level in new and innovative ways for fans around the world.

The incumbent ICC chairman, Greg Barclay, last week said that he was not seeking re-election for a third term. According to the constitution of the ICC, Barclay, 65, would retire at the end of November following a four-year stint as maximum permissible.

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Elected unanimously as ICC Chair in November 2020 and re-elected in 2022, Barclay opened the window for Shah’s uncontested election as chairman.

The announcement has generated great interest as Shah is already considered one of the most influential figures in the ICC boardroom. He had filed his nomination for the post on the last day of filing and was consequently elected by unanimous vote as the next Independent Chair of the ICC.