Unprecedented Leadership and Global Unity at ICC
Despite the absence of an Independent Woman Director, the International Cricket Council (ICC) board comprises 16 members. To be elected as Chair, a candidate must secure nine votes, which constitutes a simple majority. The election process begins with a nomination phase, requiring each candidate to have both a proposer and a seconder. Jay Shah, elected as Chairman on Tuesday, received nominations from 15 of the 16 directors, rendering the identity of the 16th director irrelevant and eliminating the need for an election. Among his supporters were directors from Australia, England, and New Zealand.
This level of unity on the ICC board, in backing a single director, is outstanding. Over the years, India has seen several of its leaders, such as Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar, rise to supremacy in the ICC, but none had ever achieved such overwhelming and unanimous support.
Dalmiya (in 1997) had to rely on the support of Associate nations and the Asian bloc to overcome challenges from the England-Australia-New Zealand-West Indies group in a divided ICC. When Pawar took the position in 2010, Australia and New Zealand were supporting John Howard, a former Australian Prime Minister. Srinivasan (2014) managed to gain the support of England and Australia but faced opposition from many other boards due to his role in the controversial Big Three arrangement. Manohar (2017), who dismantled the Big Three, received global backing, but there were doubts about whether he had the full support of the BCCI.
At just 35, Shah is now the youngest leader to head the world governing body, achieving unanimous support. It is remarkable how quickly he has earned the trust of its members. As Sunil Gavaskar recently wrote in Sportstar, “Just as he has done for Indian cricket, both men and women, players worldwide will benefit.”
Shah’s Transformative Impact on World Cricket and BCCI
Shah’s most significant assistance to world cricket thus far is assuring cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics a milestone that may be his ongoing legacy. Historically, BCCI leaders opposed joining the Olympic fold, fearing it would compromise their autonomy, particularly concerning the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Shah, however, focused on the broader interests of the sport, realizing the importance of bringing cricket to the Olympics. Without BCCI’s support, this achievement would not have been possible.
At the BCCI level, Shah’s accomplishments as secretary are unmatched. He established a state-of-the-art high-performance center in Bengaluru, gave women’s cricket a different identity, and advocated for the primacy of Test cricket. Throughout his five-year tenure since becoming BCCI secretary in 2019, he has consistently prioritized the right areas.
One of Shah’s biggest achievements was managing cricket during the challenging COVID period in 2020 and 2021 when much of the world had come to a halt. Despite this, cricket in India continued. Shah successfully organized several international home series and two IPL seasons within a strict bio-secure bubble. While his father’s position as Union Home Minister may have been a factor, the reality is that cricket succeeded in India even during the most difficult times. Notably, he ensured that the 2021 T20 World Cup was held in the UAE, with BCCI retaining hosting rights, and last year, he delivered the most successful World Cup ever.
During Shah’s tenure, a key decision was the Women’s Premier League (WPL) launch, ensuring that both franchises and media rights were not undervalued. The league’s teams were sold for a combined Rs 4,669 crore, with media rights adding Rs 951 crore, figures previously unimaginable in women’s cricket. This success followed the Rs 48,390 crore valuation of IPL media rights and a significant increase in BCCI’s bilateral rights, with each international game fetching Rs 67.8 crore, raising the overall four-year value to Rs 5,963 crore—figures that would impress even Lalit Modi.
Shah’s administrative journey began in 2009 at the district and state levels with the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad (CBCA), and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), where he was an executive. In 2013, he became the joint secretary of the GCA and played a crucial role in forming the colossal Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world’s largest cricket ground. Since becoming BCCI secretary in 2019, Shah has headed one of the most successful periods in Indian cricket, marked by international achievements, including the recent T20 World Cup victory. Notably, under his leadership, the typically factionalized BCCI has remained solidly united. Few cricket administrators in India can claim such an impressive track record, and world cricket stands to benefit from his drive for continuous improvement.
