At 35 years old, Jay Shah is the youngest chair of ICC.
Jay Shah, BCCI secretary, was named the new ICC Chairman as he was elected unopposed. The current honorary secretary of the BCCI will assume his position, replacing Greg Barclay, at ICC on 1 December 2024.
The 35-year-old, who became the ICC's youngest chair, was elected unopposed because no other nominations were received.
The worldwide body currently has 16 members because there is no female director. During the nomination process, Shah gained support from 15 of the 16 members, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) remained silent throughout.
According to insiders, the PCB remained a mute spectator, despite strong cricket boards such as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) throwing their support behind Shah.
"There wasn't any word from PCB. Not that it was required because Shah had overwhelming support from the members. But the Pakistan board preferred to play the role of a spectator during the entire process," the report from News18 quoted.
Shah emphasized his commitment to increasing cricket's global reach and popularity, particularly given its participation in the LA 2028 Olympics.
"I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket. We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before,” Jay Shah was quoted by ICC.
"While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways,” he added.