On December 1, 2024, when he takes over as the next chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Jay Shah will become the fifth Indian to climb atop the pinnacle of cricket's global administrative body. Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar are the other four from the country to have held the high-profile post. (More Cricket News)
Shah, who is currently serving as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is all of 35, which makes him the youngest-ever ICC chairman. He will have a three-year term, with an option to carry on for three more years. But before that, Shah will have to relinquish his BCCI role, which he has held since 2019.
Let us learn more about the Indian administrator, who will succeed Greg Barclay and was elected unopposed for the position.
Rise From District Level To BCCI Hot Seat
Shah formally entered cricket administration in 2009, when he started working at the district level with the Central Board of Cricket Ahmedabad. He then progressed to state-level administration as an executive with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), and eventually became its joint secretary in 2013.
During his time with GCA, Shah is known to have initiated a structured system of age-group coaching which made sure that when players reached the Ranji level, they were in tune with senior cricket. This was followed by Gujarat winning the Ranji Trophy in the 2016-17 season.
He is also credited with playing a key role in developing the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad - the world's biggest cricket stadium. Shah's work at the GCA drove his rise within Indian cricket's administrative sphere.
He joined the BCCI in 2015 as a member of the finance and marketing committees. His influence grew, and by 2019, he had become the youngest-ever BCCI secretary at 31 years of age.
Safe, Smooth Conduct Of IPL In COVID Times
The 35-year-old Shah had to endure a really challenging phase through 2020 and 2021, when coronavirus shook the world and brought everything to a standstill. To host the Indian Premier League in a relatively seamless manner in those years was a commendable job.
He oversaw the creation of bio bubbles during the IPL, managed positive cases by creating medical teams within those bubbles and ensured the completion of tournaments in both editions.
Batting For Domestic, Women's Cricket
Shah championed domestic as well as women's cricket in ways that hardly any of his predecessors in BCCI did. After COVID-19 affected domestic cricketers' income adversely, the BCCI secretary launched a new payment structure in September 2021. As per this system, a cricketer who has played over 40 first-class matches in his career gets a match fee of INR 60,000 per day.
There was also a push for prioritising domestic cricket over the IPL, and younger players who were deemed to be doing the opposite faced consequences. Both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer lost their central contracts, as a result.
His decision to ensure pay parity in match fees for the men's and women's international cricket teams was lauded by many as a landmark move. First-XI players of both teams now earn INR 15 lakh per Test, 8 lakh per ODI and 4 lakh per T20I as match fees.
But perhaps his biggest contribution to women's cricket was the start of the Women's Premier League (WPL) which was in a limbo for a few years. The WPL franchises were collectively sold for INR 4,669 crore, while the media rights added INR 951 crore, both of which were unprecedented figures for the women's game. WPL has since seen the conduct of two successful seasons.
Leading Asian Cricket Council
Shah, the son of India's home minister Amit Shah, was named president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2021. The appointment turned out to foreshadow his rise to the top of the global governing body. Like in his senior roles with the BCCI and ICC, Shah was the youngest president of the ACC too. Then in 2022, Shah became chairman of the finance and commercial affairs (F&C) committee at the ICC.
Sourav Ganguly And Jay Shah: A Tale Of Contrasting Fortunes
While the appointment of former India captain Sourav Ganguly as BCCI president was hugely talked about, Shah’s rise was relatively quieter, yet significant. A new regime was taking over the reigns in BCCI after a rocky period that saw a lot of back and forth between the Supreme Court and the Committee of Administrators. While Ganguly had to make way for Roger Binny, Shah was re-elected unopposed in 2022.
