Jay Shah has officially assumed his office as the Chairman of ICC, starting from 1 December 2024. His very first statement after assuming the prestigious position talks about how he aims to get cricket into the Olympics in 2028 and that his key focus would be strengthening women’s cricket.
Son of the Home Minister Amit Shah, Jay Shah was already serving as the Secretary of BCCI. He was appointed as the ICC Chairman quite a time ago under unanimous voting and was supposed to succeed Greg Barclay, who has been serving in the same position since November 2020.
Though it was very obvious that Jay Shah would assume office soon, his timing sparked many speculations given the controversies related to the venue of the Champions Trophy 2025.
While reports suggest that PCB has accepted to adopt the hybrid model, their conditions seem unacceptable for BCCI, leaving the matter on a hanging thread yet again.
This would be a challenge for Jay Shah to resolve the ongoing disputes in the cricketing world. With the India-Pakistan rivalry at its peak, it would fall under his responsibilities to maintain a balance in his decisions so that they do not look biased.
‘I am honoured to take on the role of ICC Chair, and I am grateful for the trust and support of the ICC directors and Member Boards,’ Shah mentioned in his statement.
He further added that this is a crucial moment in the world of cricket. There is a massive potential lying within the upcoming edition of the Olympics for cricket and so is the need for improving women’s cricket.
Shah has also indicated through his statements that his focus would be towards expanding cricket into multiple formats. He aims to work in close collaboration with the ICC team as well as the members from other countries to capitalize on the opportunities and make the most out of them.
‘We’re at a critical juncture in the sport’s evolution, and I look forward to taking cricket to new heights,’ Shah further claimed.
Although Jay Shah’s statements do not talk about the matters of the Champions Trophy yet, speculations suggest things will fall in the favor of the Indian Cricket Board.
With the schedule not yet released and no official statement made by the ICC, we can only hope that whatever happens, victory resides with the game in the end.
