BCCI secretary Jay Shah is set to replace Greg Barclay as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Barclay has made his desire to step down from the post to the ICC director after his tenure ends in November.
ICC directors including Cricket Australia’s Chair Mike Baird, who has no intention of running for the post, for the third term during a video conference.
Shah has been backed by cricket boards from England and Australia and hence, has the required numbers to be crowned as the chief of the ICC.
“ICC chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the independent ICC chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022,” said an ICC Spokesperson.
“Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new chair commencing on 1 December 2024,” he added.
As per the ICC rules, the chairman’s selection will comprise 16 votes, and a majority of nine votes is required for the winner. Earlier, a two-thirds majority was needed for the candidate to become the chairman.
Shah is considered one of the most influential faces in the ICC boardroom. He is currently the head of ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Sub-committee.
He has the advantage of 16 voting members. Shah has another year of tenure as BCCI’s secretary before going on a cooling period of three years from October 2025. As per the BCCI constitution approved by the Supreme Court, an office bearer can stay for six before he needs to go for a cooling off period. In terms, a person can stay in office for a cumulative period of 18 years, nine in state associations and nine in BCCI.
If Shah decides to move to ICC with a year pending in BCCI’s secretary tenure, he will have four years left in BCCI. Jay Shah could be the youngest chairman in the history of ICC. Jagmohan Dalmia, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar are the other Indians who have headed ICC in the past.
