Indian cricket administrator Jay Shah on Sunday took charge as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with an immediate goal of ending the impasse surrounding the Champions Trophy and a broader vision of making cricket a commercially viable Olympic sport.
The 36-year-old Shah, who headlined the BCCI as its secretary for the last five years, is the fifth Indian and the youngest ever to head the global cricket body.
He was the unanimous choice of the ICC’s Board of Directors and replaced New Zealand attorney Greg Barclay, who didn’t wish to continue for a third consecutive term.
Before Shah, businessman late Jagmohan Dalmiya, politician Sharad Pawar, lawyer Shashank Manohar and industrialist N Srinivasan have all headed the world cricket body.
Shah, the son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, will have his task cut out as the ICC looks to find an acceptable solution to implement the ‘Hybrid Model’ for the Champions Trophy originally scheduled in Pakistan.
As of now, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to accept the ‘Hybrid Model’ under which India play their matches in Dubai. But the PCB also wants the same courtesy to be accorded to Pakistan in all four ICC tournaments till 2031, which will be co-hosted or singularly hosted by the Indian cricket board.
Now, as the head of the global body and with less than 100 days left for the tournament to begin, Shah will have to co-ordinate with both the PCB and his former colleagues at the BCCI for an “acceptable solution” in order to organise a hassle-free tournament.
India have already refused to travel to Pakistan as it hasn’t received clearance from its government.
Shah didn’t make any comment on the Champions Trophy while outlining his priorities for his term which included leveraging the sport’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as an opportunity and further accelerate the growth of the women’s game.
“This is an exciting time for the sport as we prepare for the LA28 Olympic Games and work to make cricket more inclusive and engaging for fans worldwide,” Shah said.
“We are at a critical juncture with the coexistence of multiple formats and the need to accelerate the growth of the women’s game.”
“Cricket holds immense potential globally, and I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and Member countries to seize these opportunities and take the sport to new heights.”
Shah acknowledged Barclay’s contributions to the ICC over the last four years.
“I would also like to thank Greg Barclay for his leadership in the role for the past four years and the milestones achieved during that period,” he said.
“I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and the Member countries to expand the game’s reach and evolution on the global stage.”
Having started as an administrator at the district level in Gujarat Cricket Association when he was still a college student, Shah has worked his way up the ladder from state to national and now global level.
It was during his time that Gujarat became a domestic force by winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time and he has also been the man behind the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad’s Motera.
During his tenure as BCCI secretary, the domestic match fees have increased manifold and he has been instrumental in starting Test cricket incentive bonus for national players with emphasis on white-ball game.
However, the two major milestones for him as BCCI secretary are the starting of Women’s Premier League and having equal match fees for men and women’s national team players.
His young age has allowed him to be more empathetic to current players but he has also been able to crack the whip when necessary, like making it mandatory for stars to play domestic cricket after Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their central contracts for giving more emphasis to IPL compared to Ranji Trophy.
He has overwhelming support in the ICC board room save one country and he wouldn’t have a lot of problems in taking policy decisions.
India’s representation at ICC
While it is still not clear who will be the next BCCI secretary, India could be represented at the ICC Board by either current president Roger Binny, or vice-president Rajiv Shukla.
In case Binny becomes the director from India, Shukla could be the alternate director. And if Shukla is elevated as India’s representative, the co-representative could be Arun Dhumal, who is among the two to three names being discussed for the next secretary’s post, treasurer Ashish Shelar and joint secretary Devajit Lon Saikia being the others.
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