Jay Shah is all set to become the youngest-ever International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman and the fifth Indian to head the world cricket governing body. The 35-year-old is due to take over from Greg Barclay in December. Shah has been serving as the BCCI secretary since 2019 and chair of the Asian Cricket Council since 2021. (More Cricket News)
Before Shah, there were four other administrators from India who donned the ICC chairman's position. Let us find out who they were and when they served the global governing body of cricket.
1. Jagmohan Dalmiya (1997-2000)
The first Indian to become the president of ICC was Jagmohan Dalmiya, and that too from 1997 to 2000. The president of BCCI was also holding the president post of ICC. He played an important role in expanding the reach of the game and its global profile.
Dalmiya played an important role in the dispersion of cricket beyond its traditional catchments. During his stewardship, the ICC awarded Test status to Bangladesh in 2000-a nod to cricket's evolving reach in the Asian subcontinent.
2. Sharad Pawar (2010-2012)
Sharad Pawar was the second Indian after Dalmiya who held office as ICC president from 2010 to 2012. He focused on strengthening the governance of international cricket and enhancing its commercial prospects. He was the ninth president of the ICC.
3. N. Srinivasan (2014-2015)
Narayanaswami Srinivasan, the former BCCI president became the first chairman of ICC in 2014, serving until 2015 following the restructuring of the ICC's governance model. He oversaw significant developments in cricket's administration and promoted the sport's integrity and global appeal.
During his time in office, major changes took place, such as the implementation of the 'Big Three' model, which granted India, England, and Australia more influence over cricket's finances and administration.
4. Shashank Manohar (2015-2017, 2018-2020)
Shashank Manohar was the second chairman of the ICC, from November of 2015 to June of 2020. He was the only chairman who was able to serve such a long period. He also served as the president of the BCCI twice during his tenure.
Manohar first took the ICC Chairman post in 2015 after it had been vacated by N. Srinivasan. In 2018, he was re-elected as Chairman. During the tenure of his presidency, Manohar attempted to reboot the financial model and governance structure of the ICC to ensure that there was proper revenue distribution to its members.
He strongly spoke for transparency and showed immense involvement in curbing corruption within the sport.
