File photo of Jay Shah© AFP

File photo of Jay Shah© AFP

Jay Shah will take over as the ICC chairman from December 1, 2024. Jay Shah, at 35, will become the youngest to take over as the chairman of the global governing body. Shah has been serving as the BCCI secretary since October 2019 and chairman of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021. Jay Shah got the vote of 15 out of 16 members in the ICC Board to be elected the next ICC chairman. 

Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave has now talked in details about the reason behind Jay Shah’s election.

“The ICC board doesn’t want to waste too much time on internal politics. If you look at Jay’s leadership at the BCCI, it has been wonderful. He has hosted the Women’s Premier League, successfully oversaw the 50-over World Cup in India and has signed huge broadcast deals with IPL and for BCCI,” Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, former Australia head coach John Buchanan on Thursday urged the International Cricket Council, which will be led by BCCI secretary Jay Shah soon, to take ‘good decisions’ for cricket’s long-term future.

Buchanan, who coached Australia to two separate runs of world record 16 consecutive Test wins and ODI World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007, said the ICC needs to be address the concerns over growing number of T20 leagues. “It’s an interesting question. With Jay Shah now being installed at the head of the ICC, it really is important that the ICC makes some very, very good long-term decisions for the game,” Buchanan told PTI when asked if India and Australia will continue to produce Test cricketers of the same caliber they have thus far.

“We see a proliferation of T20 leagues, T10 leagues, (The) Hundreds and so on… the reality is, that is the future of the game. The young children that we’re speaking here today will be inspired by and have a real love for playing that short form of the game,” he said at the launch of ‘Ready Steady Go Kids’ multi-sport program.

However, Buchanan underlined the importance of Test cricket.

“The game is built on Test cricket. That’s the true fabric of the game. For the ICC to make some good decisions, they have to be very, very mindful of how many leagues they approve and sanction, which means by doing that, it will limit the number of leagues that players are drawn to, for a start,” he said.

Buchanan said the ICC will have to find a way to keep the ODI format relevant since it helps in transition between Tests and T20s.

“Test cricket is really important. We’ve got the proliferation of the short-format game. We need to keep the transition game, which is the one-day game,” he said.

“It’s too difficult for players to be able to play quality cricket with only two formats, meaning a short format and a long format. We need that intervening, that transition format of 50-over cricket.” Buchanan said players cannot be blamed for trying to make most of the opportunities.

“You want to be well paid for because you’re at the top of your game. Who knows how long they’ve got injury-wise, selection-wise, age-wise…” he later told reporters.

“They’ve got to try and exploit that and that’s what the leagues are offering at the moment. I don’t blame them for that.” Buchanan said he anticipates the Australian Test side to undergo a phase of transition after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of changes in that Australian Test side because most of them are over 30,” he said.

Newly appointed ICC Chairman Jay Shah extended his wishes to everyone on the occasion of the National Sports Day (Major Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary) on Thursday. Dhyan Chand celebrated as ‘The Wizard’ represented the Indian hockey team from 1925 to 1949, scoring over 1500 goals in the 185 matches he played as a centre forward during his international career, which includes three Olympic Gold Medal wins in 1928,1932 and 1936. He was felicitated with the Padma Bhushan in 1956 and his birth anniversary on August 29, is celebrated as National Sports Day.

“On this National Sports Day, I warmly commend our athletes, coaches, and everyone who has devoted their life to sports. As we honor the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand Ji on his birth anniversary, let’s commit ourselves to making India a powerhouse on the global sporting stage, the newly elected ICC Chairman said in a post on X.

On this National Sports Day, I warmly commend our athletes, coaches, and everyone who has devoted their life to sports.

As we honor the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand Ji on his birth anniversary, let’s commit ourselves to making India a powerhouse on the global sporting stage! pic.twitter.com/cgqcfhLCxF

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) August 29, 2024

Earlier on Tuesday, Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the next Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Shah, who has served as the BCCI Secretary since October 2019 and Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021, will assume this prestigious role on December 1, 2024.

Shah was the sole nominee for the chairmanship after current Chair Greg Barclay decided not to seek a third term, as per a media release by ICC. Upon his election, Shah expressed his intent to advancing the global reach and popularity of cricket, particularly with its upcoming inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics–a moment he views as a pivotal opportunity for the sport’s growth.

“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council,” Shah stated as quoted by ICC.

“I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket. 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,” Shah added.

“While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways,” Shah concluded.

Jay Shah becomes the youngest person to lead the ICC. He joins the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar as Indians who have led the ICC in the past. Shah’s election marks a new chapter for the ICC as it seeks to expand the game’s reach and continue its evolution on the global stage.

File photo of new ICC chairman Jay Shah© AFP

The newly-elected ICC Chairman Jay Shah’s efforts as BCCI secretary in giving equal priority to men’s and women’s cricket have made the Indian board a “pioneer” for other governing bodies of the game to follow, reckoned legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday. Shah will leave BCCI after a five-year stint, which began in October 2019, to take over as the independent chairman of the International Cricket Council from December 1.

Tendulkar joined many former and current players to extend his wishes to Shah, who will be the youngest ICC chairman in history at the age of 35.

“Being enthusiastic and having the drive to do something good for cricket are essential qualities for a cricket administrator. @JayShah displayed these traits wonderfully during his stint as @BCCI secretary,” Tendulkar wrote on X.

“His endeavours towards prioritising both women’s cricket and men’s cricket have made the BCCI a pioneer that other boards can follow. I wish him the very best of luck towards the next phase of his journey, as he becomes the youngest chairman of the @ICC,” he said.

Being enthusiastic and having the drive to do something good for cricket are essential qualities for a cricket administrator. @JayShah displayed these traits wonderfully during his stint as @BCCI secretary.

His endeavours towards prioritising both women’s cricket and men’s…

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 28, 2024

Shah will be the fifth Indian to head the ICC and Tendulkar hoped that he would be able to carry the legacy forward.

“India has sent several luminaries to lead the ICC as administrators: Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya, Mr. Sharad Pawar, Mr. N. Srinivasan, and Mr. Shashank Manohar. I am sure he will build on their legacy and take the game of cricket forward,” he added.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was the BCCI president during Shah’s first term wrote, “Congratulations to Jay Shah @JayShah on his new role as ICC chair.. wish him a great journey ahead ..” (sic) India’s batting mainstay Virat Kohli also congratulated Shah for his new role. “Many congratulations @JayShah on being elected as the ICC chairman. Wishing you great success ahead,” he wrote.

India’s Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma wrote, “Heartiest Congratulations @JayShah.” Jasprit Bumrah also extended his wishes, “Congratulations @Jay Shah bhai! Your passion for the game will ensure it’s taken to the next level. Wishing you lots of luck!” 

Jury is still out on where Jay Shah would be placed when India’s cricket administrators are judged for their contribution to the game but what would remain undeniable is the no fuss manner in which he made space for himself in the corridors of power first nationally and now globally. The 35-year-old was elected unopposed as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the youngest ever to reach this position. Those who have seen the workings of BCCI, during his time as Board secretary, are not surprised by the rise and vouch for his ability to connect with players at a personal level.

Shah’s formal entry into cricket administration was in 2009 when he started working at the district level with the Central Board of Cricket Ahmedabad (CBCA).

He then moved to state level administration as an executive with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) and ultimately became its Joint secretary in 2013.

During his time there, he is credited with creating a structured system of age group coaching which ensured that when the players reached the Ranji level, they were up to speed in senior cricket. Result was Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy win in 2016-17.

Equation with Players

It’s not that past ICC heads from India have not had good equations with players.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, and N Srinivasan, two successful businessmen who became natural administrators, and Sharad Pawar, a career politician, did seek opinions from the senior players they trusted during their tenures as BCCI Presidents before heading to the ICC.

But in case of Shah, whether it is skipper Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli or bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah or next-in-line players like Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya, he manages to have an equation with anyone who wants to be heard.

Rohit had gone to the extent of describing Shah as one of the “three pillars” that made the T20 World Cup triumph possible in the West Indies earlier this year.

He has also stuck to his brief of taking final calls on policy matters and administrative issues while leaving the decision-making on cricketing issues to professionals.

When one looks at his tenure of five years, he had to negotiate a very challenging phase for two years — 2020 and 2021 — when COVID-19 rocked the world bringing everything to a halt.

To oversee the creation of bio bubbles during the IPL, handling positive cases by creating medical teams within those bubbles and ensuring the completion of tournaments was one of the first obstacles he overcame.

His biggest achievement, however, would be the start of the Women Premier League (WPL) which had not taken off during earlier years.

He successfully delivered two consecutive editions and icing on the cake was the fact that WPL offered the best pay package for women’s T20 games in the market.

It is one aspect in which he stands above his predecessors, who never realised the potential of the women’s game.

His decision to ensure parity by offering equal match fees to the Indian women’s cricket team (Rs 15 lakh per Test, Rs 8 lakh per ODI and Rs 4 lakh per T20I for first XI players) was a step in the right direction.

Another policy decision where he walked the talk was incentivisation of Test cricket. India has a 10-Test season this year and if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli happen to play all the games, they would earn match fees of Rs six crore (Rs 60 lakh per match inclusive of Rs 45 lakh incentive).

Incidentally, that is a mere Rs one crore less than their A central retainership contract.

This is not to say that Shah does not or cannot crack the whip when needed.

There was a fairly powerful rap on the knuckles for younger players who were perceived to be running after IPL riches ignoring domestic cricket.

Both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer lost their central contracts for not prioritising domestic cricket.

But Shah also showed that he does not believe in a one-size-fits-all policy. Therefore, Rohit, Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were deservingly given their breaks when sought by them.

Allowing chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar a free hand on matters like Kishan and Iyer’s contracts and the elevation of Suryakumar Yadav as captain of the T20 team were bold calls.

Under his watch, no deserving India cricketer could claim that he wasn’t considered good enough to be in national reckoning despite good performances.

For perspective, Srinivasan, as sitting president of BCCI, didn’t allow Mohinder Amarnath to sack MS Dhoni from captaincy despite the 0-8 Test humiliation in England and Australia.

Another achievement of Shah is the completion of the new NCA (National Cricket Academy) which is a Centre of Excellence with capability of holding multiple first-class games at one venue during the domestic season.

Jay Shah on Tuesday was appointed as the new chairman of the ICC.© BCCI

File photo of Jay Shah© BCCI

Jay Shah, the current BCCI president, is reportedly leading the race to be the next ICC chairman. The current head Greg Barclay, who is eligible to serve a third term of two years, has announced his decision not to seek re-election, paving the way for Shah’s potential ascension. The new ICC chairman will take charge on December 1, and the last date for filing nomination is August 27. If Shah succeeds, he will become the youngest-ever ICC chief at the age of 36. His election would also make him the latest in a line of prominent Indians who have held the prestigious position, following in the footsteps of Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N. Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has called out the ‘old powers’ for accusing Jay Shah of forcing Greg Barclay out of his position.  

“In all probability, Jay Shah will be the next ICC president. Just as he has done for Indian cricket, both men and women, players worldwide will benefit. When Greg Barclay announced his decision not to go for a third term, which he was entitled to, there were reports in the media of the Old Powers that Barclay’s decision had been forced by Shah,” Gavaskar wrote in his column in Sportstar.

“Only when the perennial cribbers were questioned about what the representatives of their Old Powers were doing did it suddenly occur to them that if indeed Barclay was forced to not seek a third term, then what were their own representatives at the ICC doing at the meeting? Where were their voices of objection? And if there were none, then they were as culpable as the one they were unnecessarily pointing a finger at. It’s called the Tall poppy syndrome as well as the realisation that they don’t run the international game anymore.” 

Gavaskar further wrote that the BCCI needs to be lauded for their contribution in lifting the game in the country.

“The way Indian cricket has shaped up over the years is also a tribute to the BCCI and its administration. The kind of cricket that the teams, both men and women, have been playing is another huge reason why the sport is flourishing in India. If the team was not winning, the sponsors would stay away. Terrific teamwork from both the players and the administrators explains why Indian cricket is in such a healthy state. May it always remain so,” he wrote.