BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Set to Become New ICC Chairman, Report Reveals

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Set to Become New ICC Chairman, Report Reveals

Jay Shah, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is set to step in as chairperson of the International Cricket Council, a report by The Age on Wednesday has suggested. This follows current ICC chairman Greg Barclay announcing this week he would not be seeking a third term—his tenure actually ends on November 30.

Barclay resigned in the throes of a $US3 billion ($4.46 billion) dispute between the ICC and major broadcast rights holder, Star. Several sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the news in the late hours on Tuesday night, but requested anonymity because of confidentiality.

Shah’s potential elevation has received backing by some important cricketing bodies, including Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board, apart from other full-time ICC members.But there has been no official announcement from either Shah or the ICC regarding this transition. Official nominations for the ICC chairman post need to be filed within August 27.

ICC chairmen can serve three two-year tenures and Barclay, a New Zealand-based lawyer, has spent four years in the post. The ICC said in a release that Barclay will leave the role at the end of November after choosing not to stand for a third term. He was first appointed as ICC’s Independent Chair in November 2020 and sought a second term in 2022.

Election of ICC chairperson is now by ‘simple majority of 9 votes out of 16’, compared to earlier provision of a two-thirds majority. Nomination of candidates should be made by current ICC leaders before August 27, 2024. If more than one candidate shows interest, then an election will be held. The current clause comes into effect experiencing transition from 1 December 2024.

Also Read: Yuvraj Singh Biopic Announced: Everything We Know About the Film on Cricket Icon

Shah is the current chairman of the ICC’s influential Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) sub-committee. Shah has a smart negotiation skillset among the 16 voting members, in case he finds his way up to the top post of the ICC a year early.

ith one year to go still after this election, Shah will still have four years in his BCCI term. At 35, Shah could be set for the ICC chairmanship in a few days as he is the youngest chairman to have succeeded. Previous Indian ICC chairmen are Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar.