Jay Shah, the current Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been elected unopposed as the new International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman. Shah, who will officially take up the role on December 1, 2024, is set to make history as the youngest individual to ever lead the global governing body for cricket.
"I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalise cricket," Shah stated in a release issued by the ICC.
In his statement, Jay Shah highlighted the goals he has planned to set for his tenure. “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," he said.
Jay Shah’s involvement in cricket administration spans over ten years. He previously served as joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association before being elected unopposed as BCCI Secretary in October 2019. Since 2021, he has also held the position of Chairperson of the Asian Cricket Council.
The appointment of Shah as the ICC chairman has sparked controversy due to his connections. His father, Amit Shah, is India’s Home Minister and a close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Critics argue that this raises concerns about nepotism and the merging of cricket with politics in India. Shah's own rise within cricket administration in Gujarat, where his father previously held the role of president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, further fuels these concerns.
It will be interesting to see how, under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, cricket grows on a higher level on the global pedestal.
