Jay Shah becomes the youngest ICC Chairman as he assumes position

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has become the youngest ICC President as he took over the role from Greg Barclay on Thursday, August 27.

Shah won the election unopposed and has previously worked as the BCCI secretary and the Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021.

He will start his stint as the new ICC Chairman on December 1. Meanwhile, Barclay has refused to continue for the third term and his tenure will come to an end on November 1.

Previously there were reports that Shah might win the elections unpoosed and the same exactly happened.

Also Read: Jay Shah Confirms India's Future in ICC Events after Becoming the Frontrunner for ICC Chairman Seat

“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council,” Shah stated on his appointment.

Jay Shah Makes History With His Appointment As ICC Chairman

Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the next Independent Chair of the International Cricket Council. Shah, who has served as BCCI secretary since October 2019 and Chair of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021, will assume this role on December 1, 2024 #cricket pic.twitter.com/j3IL2yMHMu

— Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) August 27, 2024

Shah further prioritized his assignments upon assuming the position. Promoting cricket in the Olympics remains his first and foremost goal as the ICC Chairman.

“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.”

“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" he said.

With Jay Shah assuming the role of the ICC Chairman, the BCCI Secretary's post now is presently vacant. Since 2016, as per the new rules and regulations laid out by the ICC, the ICC Chairman is an independent post, and hence a person not an elected candidate cannot hold two positions.

The biggest achievement as BCCI Preseint for Jay Shah was that he was able to eliminate the pay disparity between men and women cricketers.

Under his administration, he was able to give the best infrastructure to the Indian players and the support staff.

The team also did incredibly well under his reign playing the WTC final, ICC World Cup final at home and finally winning the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean earlier this year in June.

Notably, Jay Shah had predicted earlier this year in February that Rohit Sharma would lead India to a World Cup win in Barbados and the same exactly happened.

Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar had thrown his support towards Jay Shah before his appointment as the ICC Chairman.

He had criticized the people in power and termed them as perennial cribbers who had tried to attack Jay Shah and make him insecure before he was appointed for the position.

“When Greg Barclay announced his decision not to go for a third term, which he was entitled to, there were reports in the media of the Old Powers that Barclay’s decision had been forced by Shah. Only when the perennial cribbers were questioned about what the representatives of their Old Powers were doing did it suddenly occur to them that if indeed Barclay was forced to not seek a third term, then what were their own representatives at the ICC doing at the meeting?" Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Sportstar.

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