Jay Shah is the youngest-ever ICC Chairman: The BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the next Independent Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Shah will replace Greg Barclay, who has had two consecutive terms as ICC chairman, starting from November 2020. The ICC had confirmed earlier that Barclay won’t be seeking a third term and hence the cricket’s governing council invited nominations.
There needs to be more than one candidate for an election to be held. But since nobody other than Jay Shah nominated themselves for the position, Shah was elected unopposed.
“Shah was the sole nominee for the chairmanship,” the ICC stated.
The 35-year-old Jay Shah is the youngest-ever ICC Chairman
In his statement after getting elected, Shah spoke about globalizing the game and taking it to the “unprecedented” levels. He also spoke of cricket’s return to the Olympics with LA 2028 Olympics.
Shah said “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 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.”
He 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.”
Barclay’s tenure concludes at the end of November and Shah will take the office on December 1, 2024.
Shah’s election as the ICC Chairman also means that he will have to resign from the post of BCCI Secretary and the Asian Cricket Council President as the ICC Chairman cannot hold two offices.
He is the fifth India to hold this be at the helm of the ICC, after Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar.
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