The tenure of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah, has ended with the Indian board, as he has officially taken charge as the chief of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from December 01, Sunday. The veteran has taken the position from the current holder, Greg Barclay, who has held the position since November 2020.
Jay Shah started his cricketing journey nearly 15 years ago at the district and state level, where he was quick to rise up through the ranks of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) before being appointed as the new BCCI secretary in 2019. He was the youngest-ever secretary of the cricket board of India.
The tenure for the veteran has been quite successful with the introduction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), while the players were also demanded to be part of the domestic circuit on a regular basis. India also ended their 11-year-old drought of winning the ICC title, having lifted the trophy during the recent T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America.
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Jay Shah was the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and chair of the ICC’s finance and commercial affairs committee. With him taking over the new role, the expectation will be to get ensures of the best resources and platforms for the players around the world.
Jay Shah replaces Greg Barclay as the new ICC chairman
There were rumors that the former BCCI secretary might have to wait for another month before getting into the position of the ICC because of the ongoing mayhem around the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from the third week of February to the second week of March.
The BCCI, a few weeks ago, wrote to the ICC to inform their decision to refuse travel to Pakistan for the upcoming event due to security concerns. They also proposed the board activate the hybrid model, which would have allowed them to play their portion of the tournament outside Pakistan, either in Dubai or Sri Lanka, just like last year’s Asia Cup 2023.
But the PCB wanted detailed information on the security issues and asked to get the same gesture from India because they traveled on the other side of the border during last year’s ODI World Cup. They also claimed that they would be ready to accept the hybrid model only if the upcoming ICC events in India go through the same process.
Amid all these mayhems, the rumors were of Barclay not leaving the post before deciding the fate of the event. But Jay Shah, who became the fifth Indian to accept the position after Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar, has thanked the ICC Directors and Member Boards for their support and trust.
“This is an exciting time for the sport as we build up to the LA28 Olympic Games and strive to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before. We also stand at a critical juncture in terms of the coexistence of multiple formats and accelerating the growth of the women’s game.” Jay Shah addressed in the statement, as quoted by Sports Tak.
“There is huge potential for the game of cricket globally, with so much opportunity to engage with existing and new fans while ensuring the best resources and platforms for our cricketers around the world.” He highlighted.
For the leadership in the role for the past four years, Jay Shah has also thanked Greg Barclay and aims to work closely with the ICC team and their members for the explanation of the game on the global stage.
