The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah is all set to replace the incumbent Greg Barclay as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), sources said.
Barclay told ICC directors, including Cricket Australia's chair Mike Baird, that he has no intention of running for the post, for the third term during a video conference. His decision comes after being informed of Jay Shah's intentions to replace him in November. Shah has the backing of cricket boards from England and Australia, and hence, has the numbers to be crowned as the chief of the ICC.
Jagmohan Dalmiya (1997 to 2000), Sharad Pawar (2010-2012) - as presidents - and N Srinivasan (2014 to 2015) and Shashank Manohar (2015 to 2020) - as chairmen - are the four Indians who have headed ICC in the past. Shah will become the third to do so when he officially replaces Barclay in November.
"Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new chair commencing on 1 December 2024."
As per ICC rules, the chairman's election comprises of 16 votes and now a simple majority of nine votes is required (51%) for the winner. Earlier, to become the chairman, the incumbent needed to have two-third majority.
Shah enjoys a lot of goodwill with most of the 16 voting members. Currently, Shah has another year left as the BCCI secretary before going on a mandatory cooling off period of three years from October, 2025.
If Shah decides to move to ICC with a year of his secretaryship still left, he will have four years left in the BCCI. At 35, he will become the youngest chairman in the history of ICC.
