BCCI Secretary Jay Shah Elected Unopposed as ICC Chairman

Big news has come out about Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah. He has become the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Jay Shah will now replace Greg Barclay. Jay Shah was the only applicant to apply for the post of ICC chairman. In such a situation, the election was not held and Jay Shah was elected unopposed. Let us tell you that the last date for application was Tuesday (August 27).

The term of current ICC chairman Greg Barclay is ending on November 30. He has held this post for the second consecutive time. But he has recently distanced himself from the race for the third term. In such a situation, Jay Shah’s future claim in the ICC, the global governing body of the game, was considered very strong.

The ICC chairman is eligible for three terms of two years each and New Zealand lawyer Greg Barclay has completed 4 years so far. Barclay was appointed as the independent chairman of the ICC in November 2020. He was re-elected to the post in 2022.

ICC statement on the appointment of Jai Shah

A statement issued by the ICC said, ‘Jai Shah was elected unopposed as the new chairman of the ICC. Jai Shah has been the secretary of BCCI since October 2019 and the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) since 2021. He will assume this post (ICC chairman) from December 1. He was the only candidate after former chairman Greg Barclay withdrew from the election.’

These are the rules for the ICC chairman

According to the ICC rules, there are 16 votes in the election of the chairman and now a simple majority of 9 votes (51%) is required for the winner. Earlier, the outgoing was required to have a two-thirds majority to become the chairman.

The ICC had recently said, ‘The current directors will now have to submit nominations for the next chairman by August 27, 2024, and if there is more than one candidate, the election will be held and the term of the new chairman will start from December 1, 2024.’

Why Jay Shah was a strong contender for the post of chairman

Shah is considered one of the most influential faces on the ICC board. He currently heads the ICC’s powerful Finance and Commercial Affairs Sub-Committee.

He has very good relations with most of the 16 voting members. Currently, Shah has one year left in his term as BCCI secretary after which he will have to take a mandatory break (cooling off period) of three years from October 2025.

According to the BCCI constitution approved by the Supreme Court, an official can hold office for six years before a three-year cooling-off period. Overall, a person can hold office for a total of 18 years – nine in the state association and nine in the BCCI.

Did Shah become the youngest chairman?

With this appointment, Jay Shah, at the age of 35, has become the youngest chairman in the history of the ICC. Let us tell you that Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar are the Indians who have led the ICC in the past.