Jay Shah poised to make history as the youngest ICC chairman ever

New Delhi: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah is all set to become the new Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), replacing the incumbent Greg Barclay. Barclay, during a video conference, informed the ICC directors, including Cricket Australia Chairman Mike Baird, that he has no intention of contesting for the post for a third time. His decision comes after being informed about Jay Shah's intention to replace him in November.

Jay Shah has the support of the England and Australia cricket boards. Therefore, he has enough numbers to be crowned as the head of the ICC. Jagmohan Dalmiya (1997 to 200) and Sharad Pawar (2010-2012) are the only two Indians who have previously held the post of ICC chief.

Jay Shah is going to become the chairman of the ICC at the age of just 35. Which will be the first time in the history of ICC. An ICC spokesperson told The Age that ICC chairman Greg Barclay has confirmed to the board that he will not be standing for a third term and will step down when his current term ends in November.

Jay Shah, who is also the son of India's Home Minister Amit Shah, will become the third person to officially replace Barclay in November. Barclay was appointed as the independent ICC Chairman in November 2020, re-elected in 2022. Current directors are now required to submit nominations for the next chairman by August 27, 2024.

If there is more than one candidate, the election will be held with the new chairman's term commencing on December 1, 2024. As per ICC rules, there are 16 votes in the chairman's election and now a simple majority of 9 votes (51%) is required for the winner. Earlier, the current chairman needed a two-thirds majority to become the chairman. He has a very good relationship with most of the 16 voting members.

Shah currently has one more year left as BCCI secretary, after which he will have to go on a mandatory cooling-off period of 3 years from October 2025. As per the Supreme Court approved BCCI constitution, an office-bearer can hold the post for a maximum of 6 years before a cooling-off period of 3 years.

In total, a person can hold the post for a total of 18 years, - 9 years in the State Association and 9 years in the BCCI. If Shah decides to move to the ICC with one year left in his secretary's post, he will have 4 years left in the BCCI.