Jay Shah becomes youngest ever chair of ICC after winning election unopposed

Jay Shah, honorary secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is now in charge of the global game after being elected, unopposed, to chair the International Cricket Council.

Shah is the son of India’s home minister, Amit Shah, and aged 35 becomes the youngest person to hold the position. He will step down from the BCCI – the ICC chair must be independent of any board – and formally start on 1 December after four years of stewardship by New Zealand’s Greg Barclay.

Barclay opted against running for a third two-year term amid rising support for Shah among the member boards. Shah was also reportedly approaching the completion of his stipulated period as BCCI secretary, with this move – supported by England and Australia – pushing him seamlessly into a revised three-year term atop the ICC.

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Shah assumes the role at a critical time for the sport. The official ICC media release cited his enthusiasm for cricket’s return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 – “[It] represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket,” he said – but also acknowledged the in-tray is far busier than one tournament.

Disney Star, the rights holder for the ICC’s global events, is reportedly seeking a reduction of the US$3bn (£2.26bn) paid for the current four-year broadcast deal. Distributed to member boards, with India (38.5%), England (7%) and Australia (6%) receiving the greatest slices due to the size of their markets, the money tops up the earnings of the so-called “Big Three” countries but is the lifeblood of boards elsewhere.

Cricket is also wrestling with the shifting global landscape in which privately owned “franchise” leagues overlap with international cricket and, with the offer of lucrative deals, vie with the various national selectors for the services of the best players. India, who bar their men’s players from featuring in franchise T20 tournaments other than the Indian Premier League, have been immune to this thus far.

The issue is particularly acute in the men’s game, where the schedule is fit to burst and the next future tours programme, due to start in 2027, is currently being worked on. The World Cricketers’ Association – the umbrella body for the leading unions, albeit with India’s players yet to unionise – has also recently formed a committee to explore the issue amid growing frustration at the lack of leadership from the ICC.

Shah’s five years in charge of the BCCI – a role that bordered on quasi-team director at times – have featured increasing professionalisation of women’s cricket in the country through the Women’s Premier League and a push to promote red-ball cricket in the men’s game, including additional funds to reward their leading Test players.

Shah has also recently voiced his support for a global Test fund that would top up match fees – worth a reported $10,000 per player per match – to support the smaller boards and attempt to stem the talent drain to T20. This fund, like much of the global game, will therefore rest on those negotiations between the ICC and Disney Star.