Earlier this week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) set the ball rolling for the election of its new Chair after the incumbent Greg Barclay decided against seeking a third term. In the ICC corridors, there are strong indications that the current BCCI secretary Jay Shah will replace Barclay, which will make the Indian administrator youngest ever to hold the office.
Why is Jay Shah being seen as ICC’s new chair?
Being the secretary of the world’s richest cricket board that contributes 70 per cent of the ICC revenue certainly helps. He also happens to be the head of ICC’s powerful Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee. Other BCCI officials to head ICC were N Srinivasan, Shashank Manohar, Sharad Pawar and Jagmohan Dalmiya. Shah, 35, has a chance to be ICC’s youngest Chair. Barclay, who was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020 before being re-elected in 2022, will see out his current tenure that finishes at the end of November. The term of the new Chair will officially commence on December 1.
When is the ICC election expected?
It is unlikely that there will be any election for the post. The candidates are supposed to file their nominations by August 27 and as things stand, in case Shah files for the post, he is expected to be elected unopposed. In case there are multiple nominations for the post, then there will be an election. Even in the case of that eventuality, Shah’s chances of winning are high as he has the numbers on his side. Cricket Australia, England Cricket Board, Cricket South Africa are expected to back him. With 17 total votes – 12 full member nations, 3 Associates, 1 women director and chair – the candidate that gets 9 votes wins.
What is the tenure of the ICC Chair?
According to the existing constitution, the ICC Chair can be at the helm for six years – three terms of two years. However, ICC is mulling over revising its constitution. There are talks that for the sake of continuity, the tenure stipulation can change to two terms of three years.
Can Shah wear two hats – be the BCCI secretary and also the ICC Chair?
No. Since 2016, the ICC Chair has become an independent post, which means that an elected candidate cannot hold two offices. So in case Shah does get elected at the ICC meeting in November, he has to resign as BCCI secretary with immediate effect. That would also mean that he won’t be able to complete his tenure which ends only in September 2025. Although Manohar – who was ICC’s first Independent Chair – stepped down as BCCI president even before the elections, there is no compulsion to do so. So Shah can continue being the BCCI secretary till his ICC tenure begins in November this year – subject to him getting the top cricket post.
Can he return to BCCI after his ICC stint?
As per the BCCI constitution, once Shah’s term as secretary ends next year, he has to enter a mandatory cooling-off period for three years. But in case Shah is elected as ICC Chair, he can finish his stint and return to BCCI again without taking a break from being a top influential cricket administrator.
In case Shah gets the top ICC job, who becomes the BCCI secretary?
The coming weeks will decide that. At present, there are no clear-cut favourites to replace Shah in the BCCI. Most of the old guards of the BCCI are ineligible to make a comeback because of their age or their term is already over. Former BCCI presidents Anurag Thakur and Sourav Ganguly don’t fit the bill because according to Rule 14 (7) of the BCCI constitution: “…a former president of the BCCI shall not be entitled to be elected or nominated to the Apex Council in any capacity except for a second and final term as President.” BCCI’s treasurer Ashish Shelar and joint secretary Devajit Saikia are eligible to contest for secretary.
What challenges could Shah face in ICC role?
There has been lot of disquiet in the ICC over their decision to conduct the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the USA. In the recent ICC meeting in Colombo, several member nations raised questions over the operational budget overshooting the initial estimation by $20 million. And on top of that Star, which signed a broadcasting deal at around $3billion in 2022 for telecasting events in India from 2024-27, wants to renegotiate it and reduce the sum. While Star had plans to license the television rights with Zee, that deal didn’t go through. All of this has put ICC in a troubled spot as it also has ambitious plans to introduce a common fund pool to preserve the health of Test cricket.
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