BCCI Secretary Jay Shah became the youngest ever BCC president as he took over from Greg Barclay on Thursday, August 27.
Shah won the election unopposed and previously served as BCCI secretary and chairman of the Asian Cricket Council from January 2021.
He will take office as the new chairman of the ICC on December 1. Barclay, meanwhile, declined to seek a third term and his term will expire on November 1.
Earlier there were reports that Shah could win the elections quietly and the same happened.
Also read: Jay Shah confirms India’s Future at ICC Events after becoming front runner for ICC Chairman’s seat
“I am humbled by my nomination as chairman of the International Cricket Council,” Shah said on his appointment.
Jay Shah makes history with his appointment as ICC President
Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the next Independent Chairman of the International Cricket Council. Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary since October 2019 and the Asian Cricket Council chairman since January 2021, will take over from December 1, 2024. #cricket pic.twitter.com/j3IL2yMHMu
— Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) August 27, 2024
After taking office, Shah gave more priority to his tasks. Promotion of cricket in the Olympics remains his first and foremost objective as ICC chairman.
“I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member countries to further globalize cricket. We are 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 events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before.”
“While we build on valuable lessons learned, we need to embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love of cricket around the world.
The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics in LA 2028 represents a significant turning point for the development of cricket and I am sure it will take the sport forward in unprecedented ways,” he said.
The post of BCCI Secretary is currently vacant with Jay Shah taking over as the ICC Chairman. As of 2016, under the new rules and regulations laid down by the ICC, the ICC Chairman is an independent position and therefore a person who is not an elected candidate cannot hold two positions.
Jay Shah’s biggest achievement as BCCI Preseint was that he was able to bridge the pay gap between male and female cricketers.
Under his leadership, he was able to give the best infrastructure to the Indian players and support staff.
The team also did incredibly well during his reign, playing the WTC final, the ICC World Cup final at home and finally winning the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in June this year.
It may be noted that Jay Shah had predicted that Rohit Sharma would lead India to World Cup victory in Barbados in February this year and the same happened.
Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar had thrown his support to Jay Shah before he was appointed ICC chairman.
He criticized the people in power, calling them perennial pockets who tried to attack and discredit Jay Shah before he was appointed.
“When Greg Barclay announced his decision not to seek a third term, and rightfully so, there were reports in the Old Powers media that Barclay’s decision was forced by the Shah. Only when perennial cribbers were questioned about what their Old Powers representatives were doing did it suddenly occur to them that if Barclay had indeed been forced not to seek a third term, what were their representatives at the ICC doing at the meeting? Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar.
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