Jay Shah elected unopposed as next ICC chairman

BCCI secretary Jay Shah will take over as the next ICC chairman on December 1 after being elected unopposed for the top post here on Tuesday, making him the fifth Indian to reach the pinnacle of global cricket administration.

The 35-year-old Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary since 2019, will take over from 62-year-old incumbent Greg Barclay after the New Zealander decided against running for a third consecutive term of two years.

Shah, who is the son of union home minister Amit Shah, will relinquish his position in India at the BCCI's Annual General Meeting likely to be held towards the end of next month or in October.

Shah became the youngest Indian among late Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar to take over high-profile job.

The Ahmedabad-based administrator, who was the sole nominee for the chairmanship, emphasised his commitment to expanding the global reach and popularity of cricket, especially with its upcoming inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

"I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council," Shah stated in an ICC release.

He also acknowledged that international cricket stands at a critical juncture and it would be important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce marquee events to new global markets.

"I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalise cricket. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before," he was quoted as saying in the release.

Being a powerful decision-maker in the richest cricket board of the world, which contributes more than 75 per cent of the revenue for the global body, Shah's election was never in doubt once he threw his hat in the ring.

It is understood that one among the powerful SENA cricket boards (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) was Shah's proposer and another one of these countries seconded the nomination. And he remained the lone contender on the last day of nominations.

As per the ICC constitution, there are 17 votes -- 12 full Test playing nations, chairman, deputy chairman, two associate member nominees and one independent female director.

That he is a likely choice was evident when he was appointed the head of ICC's most powerful sub-committee -- the Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) in 2022.

The timing couldn't have been better for Shah, who would have had to go on a mandatory cooling off period in 2025 for a period of three years till 2028.

The BCCI constitution allows office-bearers to stay in office for a cumulative period of 18 years -- nine in national board and nine in state units.

But at a stretch, a person can remain office-bearer for a period of only six years after which a three-years cooling off period is necessary.

Shah, if all goes well, can have two terms in the ICC and come back to complete his remaining four years in BCCI in 2028 albeit as president of the board.