New Delhi, August 21 (HS). Outgoing Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah is the frontrunner to become the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in place of Greg Barclay.
As per the ICC rulebook, each of the current 16 ICC directors must file a nomination for the post of ICC president by August 27. If there are multiple nominations, elections will be held in the second week of November and the new president will take charge from December 1.
Several sources have indicated that with the support of the cricket boards of Australia and England, Shah's elevation to the top job is a mere formality as he is expected to be appointed unanimously. Although Barclay was still eligible to seek a third term of two years, he informed the ICC board on Tuesday that he would not contest for another term, thus paving the way for Shah's elevation to the top role at the global cricket governing body.
However, he will have to resign from the post of BCCI secretary before moving to the ICC. Shah, who begins his second term as BCCI secretary in October 2022, has to complete a cooling-off period of at least three years at the BCCI after his current term ends in September 2025. And keeping this in mind, moving to the ICC appears to be a viable option for Shah.
The ICC has proposed a rule change to amend the tenure of the president to a maximum of two terms of three years each in line with the BCCI constitution. If Shah eventually takes over, he will be the youngest ICC chief at the age of 36. He will join Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N. Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar in the club of Indians to have headed the global body.
Currently, he is an ICC director appointed by the BCCI, and also the chairman of the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs Sub-Committee, which is considered the most influential body of the ICC.