Jay Shah is the new ICC President: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the next chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Along with this, 35-year-old Jay Shah has become the youngest administrator to hold the top post in world cricket administration.
Jay Shah will replace the current ICC chairman Greg Barclay on 1 December this year. 62-year-old Barclay of New Zealand decided not to contest for the third consecutive time. Now Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will have to leave the post of BCCI secretary, which he has been holding since 2019.
When can Jay Shah leave the post of BCCI secretary?
Let us tell you that the general meeting of the Indian Board will be held next month or in October. During this time or before that, Jay Shah can resign. He can take over the post of ICC Chairman only when he resigns from the post of BCCI Secretary. Shah is currently the head of the ICC’s most powerful Finance and Business Affairs sub-committee. He became the chairman of this sub-committee in 2022.
Before Jai Shah, late Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar have been the top Indians in the ICC. On the other hand, there are many contenders for the post of BCCI secretary in place of Jai Shah, but if media reports are to be believed, the name of Rohan, son of late BJP leader Arun Jaitley, is also strongly leading.
Will take help of Olympics for global recognition
Jai Shah said, ‘I am grateful to be the President of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working for cricket along with the ICC team and its members. At present, it is important to promote different formats of cricket.’
He also talked about bringing new technology to cricket. Jai Shah said, ‘I will try to bring new technology to cricket, as well as try to take events like the World Cup to global markets.’
Jai Shah said that he will work to give global recognition to cricket, in which the Olympics will prove to be very helpful. He said, ‘Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics 2028 is a big achievement. We will give it global recognition through the Olympics and try to reach more countries.’
ICC statement on the appointment of Jay Shah
In a statement issued by the ICC, it was said, ‘Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the new chairman of the ICC. Jay Shah has been the secretary of BCCI since October 2019 and chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) since 2021. He will assume this post (ICC chairman) from December 1. He was the only candidate after former chairman Greg Barclay withdrew from the election.
SENA board proposed the name of Jai Shah
The selection of Jay Shah, the most powerful man in the richest board of world cricket, was decided when he presented his candidature. The Indian board contributes more than 75 percent of the ICC’s revenue. It is understood that one of the SENA cricket boards (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) proposed Jay Shah’s name and one approved it.
Under the ICC constitution, a total of 17 votes are cast, out of which 12 are from full-time Test nations, the chairman, vice-chairman, representatives of two associate members and an independent female director. There could not have been a better opportunity for Jai Shah to become the ICC chairman, as he has to undergo mandatory ‘cooling off’ from 2025 to 2028.
Under the BCCI constitution, officials can hold office for 18 consecutive years, out of which 9 will be with the national board and 9 with the state unit. But a person can hold office for only 6 consecutive years, after which he will have to take a break for three years. Jay Shah can become ICC chairman for two consecutive terms and after that he can also become president of BCCI in 2028.
Pakistani board may face problems
Jay Shah’s immediate challenge at the ICC is the organisation of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. As chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, he was a strong supporter of the hybrid model for the 2023 Asia Cup ODI tournament, which was co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Now it remains to be seen how he, as the ICC chairman, deals with this situation, because the Indian government may not allow the team to go to Pakistan. It is understood that a hybrid model can also be adopted in the Champions Trophy, in which Pakistan will play its matches in the country and against India in Dubai.
Apart from this, the long-term challenge will be to safeguard the future of Test cricket, keep ODI cricket popular and prevent talent from drifting away from international cricket amid the club versus country dispute. Along with this, promoting cricket in the Olympics will also be an important challenge as cricket will make its debut in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)