Greg Barclay is currently the chairman of the ICC, but he will resign from this post after November 30. His second term ends in November. After this, BCCI secretary Jay Shah can take over that post. The decision on Jay Shah’s contesting for the post of ICC chairman will be announced on August 27, which is the last date for filing nominations. The ICC chairman is eligible for three terms of two years each and Barclay has already completed four years and is not ready for a third term.
ICC said in a media release, “ICC Chairman Greg Barclay confirmed to the Board that he will not contest for a third term and will step down when his current term expires at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the independent ICC Chairman in November 2020, after which he will be re-elected in 2022. The current directors are now required to submit nominations for the next chairman by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held and the new chairman’s term will begin on 1 December 2024.
As per ICC’s presidential rules, the election involves 16 votes and hence a simple majority of nine votes (51%) is required for the winner, whereas as per the earlier rule, a two-thirds majority was required for the post of president. Jay Shah is currently the head of ICC’s powerful Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) subcommittee. He is one of the most influential persons in cricket administration and enjoys great goodwill with most of the 16 voting members. He could be the next ICC chairman.
Jai Shah can create history
At just 35, Shah could become the youngest ICC chairman ever, joining the list of Indian stalwarts like Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar who have headed the ICC in the past. However, according to the BCCI constitution approved by the Supreme Court, an office-bearer can hold office for six years, after which he has to go on cooling off for three years. Overall, a person can hold office for a total of 18 years – nine years in a state association and nine in the BCCI. If Shah decides to move to the ICC despite having one year left in the secretary’s post, he will still have four years left in the BCCI.
