On Sunday, 1 December, Jay Shah took charge as the youngest independent chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The former secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is only 36, but he is no babe in the woods when it comes to cricket administration.
Shah got into the Gujarat Cricket Association nearly a decade and a half back before moving in an executive capacity to the world’s richest board for five years from 2019, which means he is well equipped to deal with the numerous challenges that are bound to confront him as the head of cricket’s governing body.
There is, however, a massive difference between being the secretary of a member board, however powerful it might be, and the boss of the sport’s premier body. As the BCCI secretary, Shah’s biggest endeavour was to maintain India’s pre-eminent status in the cricketing stratosphere, on and off the field.
Now, his ambit has expanded immensely; he can no longer afford to look inwards and keep only one country’s development in mind. The growth of the sport is his biggest and most pressing priority, and that’s where his administrative sass will be tested.
Jay Shah’s first challenge: Solving Champions Trophy issue
Shah has straightaway walked into a crisis not necessarily of his making. The vexing issue of the hosting of the Champions Trophy might be in its final stages, but with the Pakistan Cricket Board refusing to back down and insisting on its pound of flesh – many might say with good reason – Shah will have to tread a delicate tightrope.
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