Jay Shah is the new ICC Chairman (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
After years of wild speculation and obvious intrigue, the all-powerful Jay Shah has finally taken the reins of world cricket after being elected unopposed as chairman of the International Cricket Council.
As I have noted in recent months, the rise of Shah, the most influential official in sport, to the top of India’s wealthy governing body was inevitable after he signalled his intention to run for the ICC’s top job.
Recognising the signs of the times and knowing he could not match Shah’s weight, Chairman Greg Barclay did not seek a third term. As I reported last month, experienced board members Imran Khwaja and Tavengwa Mukuhlani decided some time ago not to run again.
Shah, whose father Amit Shah is India’s home minister and the right-hand man of nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, became secretary of the Indian cricket governing body in 2019 but is not eligible to run for president until 2028.
His term will begin in December and run until the end of 2027. The chairman’s term has been changed from a maximum of three terms of two years each to two terms of three years each. Shah turns 36 next month, making him the ICC’s youngest chairman ever.
Shah’s tenure ends just before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when cricket returns to the Olympics after a 128-year absence. But there are still unknowns about the qualifying formats, exact number of teams and venues for the men’s and women’s T20 competitions.
“The inclusion of our sport in the 2028 LA Olympic Games represents a significant turning point for the growth of cricket and I am confident it will advance the sport in unprecedented ways,” Shah said in a press release.
Shah will step down as India boss as the ICC chairmanship is considered an independent role, and he is likely to have to give up his post as chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, which he has held since 2021.
Jay Shah will replace Greg Barclay as ICC chairman (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Shah’s rise has taken at least four years. As I reported at the time, India was keen to regain control of the all-powerful ICC board after former chairman Shashank Manohar initiated a more comprehensive approach that somewhat tempered the overwhelming influence of the increasingly despised “Big Three” of India, England and Australia.
India backed Barclay – whom the Indian media then called a “compromise candidate” – in a disputed election in 2020 with Singaporean Khwaja, who succeeded Manohar and wanted to become the first chairman from an associate country. He did not have the vested interests that often get in the way of full members, and Shah now becomes the litmus test.
Shah decided not to stand in the last election in 2022, leaving Barclay free to continue his term after Mukuhlani resigned at the last minute. But Shah’s influence has grown steadily since taking over as head of the ICC’s powerful Finance and Trade Committee and was part of a working group that helped shape the bid to return cricket to the Olympics.
For Shah, it was something of an audition, as he can easily be mocked with his heavy glasses, doughy build and sleekly manicured hairstyle.
Jay Shah is cricket’s most powerful administrator (Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
But Shah has hard-line politics in his blood and rules with an iron fist. And the ICC will surely be moulded in his image, unlike the humble Barclay, who felt a bit like an administrator while everyone waited for the mighty cricket star to take the reins.
Some of his perceived rivals have privately praised Shah for his willingness to debate, and there is a feeling that he may be able to unite a board that is often divided by vested interests.
However, there may also be a sense of helplessness as Shah will be in total control and pessimism over whether he will take an inclusive approach given that he has given India the lion’s share of the $3 billion media rights deal with the ICC.
The sport of cricket is undergoing a turning point as the proliferation of lucrative franchise leagues threatens the dominance of international cricket.
Shah supports protecting Test cricket, but many other issues are also being scrutinised, such as the situation of women’s cricket in Afghanistan, and Barclays’ critics have felt he does not have the authority to take action on the matter.
Shah will be in no doubt that, after a coronation that has been a long time coming, a new era in world cricket is just around the corner.
