Jay Shah youngest ICC chairman

Dubai, August 27

BCCI secretary Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the next ICC chairman here today, making him the youngest to reach the pinnacle of global cricket administration.

The 35-year-old, who has been the BCCI secretary since 2019, will take over from 62-year-old incumbent Greg Barclay on December 1 after the New Zealander decided against running for a third consecutive term of two years.

Shah, who is the son of union home minister Amit Shah, will relinquish his position in India at the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting likely to be held towards the end of next month or in October.

Shah became the fifth Indian after late Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar to be elected for the high-profile job.

Shah said he will look to ensure that Test cricket forms the “bedrock” of the game in his tenure during which he will also try to “dismantle barriers that have hindered cricket’s progress”.

“While T20 is a naturally exciting format, it is equally important that Test cricket remains a priority for everyone as it forms the bedrock of our game. We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal,” Shah said.

Shah emphasised on further lifting the standards of the game across the globe. “I want to assure you that I will do everything possible to elevate the standard of our game across the globe. With cricket poised to make its historic debut at the Olympics in 2028, we stand at the precipice of a transformative era,” he said.