Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is poised to succeed Greg Barclay as the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Barclay announced via video conference that he will not seek a third term, following discussions about Shah’s candidacy for the role.
Shah, who has garnered support from cricket boards in England and Australia, is expected to be confirmed as the new ICC Chairman in November. He will be the third Indian to hold this position, joining the ranks of Jagmohan Dalmiya (1997-2000) and Sharad Pawar (2010-2012). Shah, who is also the son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, will officially take over from Barclay at the end of November.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed Barclay’s decision: “ICC chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down when his current tenure ends in November. Barclay, who was appointed as independent ICC chair in November 2020, was re-elected in 2022.”
Current ICC directors must submit nominations for the new chair by August 27, 2024. If multiple candidates emerge, an election will be held, with the new term beginning on December 1, 2024. The election now requires a simple majority of nine out of 16 votes, a change from the previous two-thirds majority requirement.
Shah, who has the backing of most of the 16 voting members, will be the youngest ICC Chairman at 35 if elected. He has one year remaining in his current BCCI role before entering a mandatory cooling-off period starting October 2025. Under BCCI rules, an office bearer can serve for a maximum of 18 years in total—nine years at the state association level and nine years within BCCI.
If Shah transitions to the ICC role, he will have four years left in his BCCI term.
