Jay Shah unanimously elected as new ICC chairman
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has been elected to the post of International Cricket Council chairman unopposed and will take over from Greg Barclay on December 1. Shah, 35, has become the youngest ever to take charge and the third Indian to be elected to the post since its establishment in 2014.
Jay Shah was the only nominee from amongst the Board of Directors until the deadline on August 27, rendering an election unecessary. His predecessor Greg Barclay has been in the post since 2020 and decided not to stand for a third time after being informed that Shah had accumulated the required support to be elected.
“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council,” Shah stated upon ICC's announcement.
Shah began his career as an administrator in Gujarat and was named the BCCI's honorary secretary in October 2019. The Indian was re-elected for a second term in 2022 but will have to relinquish the post once he takes over as ICC chairman. The 25-year-old also served as the Asian Cricket Council President from 2021 to 2024 and has been a part of the ICC's Finance & Commerical Affairs Committee since 2022, taking over as chair in 2023.
“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,” Shah laid out his ambitions.
Shah is the third Indian to be elected as chairman after N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar and the fifth Indian to helm the ICC overall following presidential stints for Jagmohan Dalmiya and Sharad Pawar. Shah takes over at a unique juncture for cricket though given the reinstatement of cricket to the Olympics for LA 2028 as a part of the sport's growing efforts to increase its imprints in the United States of America, albeit he will need to be re-elected to stay in charge when the event actually rolls around.
“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,” Shah concluded.
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