Pakistan Cricket Board Was Helpless As Jay Shah Was Elected Unopposed ICC Chairman: REPORTS

Jay Shah will be moving on from his role as the BCCI secretary after he was announced as the new independent chair of International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday. Jay Shah will be replacing New Zealand's Greg Barclay and will take over his responsibilities as the new ICC Chairman from December 1st, 2024. 

ICC in their statement announced that Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the new chairman of the cricket's governing body. It is being believed that with Jay Shah receiving 15 votes out of the 16 ICC members, Pakistan Cricket Board's opinion on the matter didn't matter as they were left helpless on the sidelines. 

Pakistan Cricket Board helpless as Jay Shah elected new ICC chair

Jay Shah was elected unopposed as the new ICC Chairman but he didn't receive full support from all the 16 members. According to a report, Jay Shah received 15 out of 16 votes in favour with Pakistan Cricket Board deciding to not vote on the matter and watched from the sidelines. 

It is evident that PCB did not want Jay Shah to be elected as the new chairman of the ICC given their strained relation with BCCI and BCCI's stance of not playing Champions Trophy in Pakistan. But their opinion on the matter did not matter as Jay Shah already had the support from every member. 

Also Read | How Jay Shah's Leadership At BCCI Made India A Cricketing Superpower

Jay Shah's aim as the new ICC Chairman

Newly-elected ICC Chairman Jay Shah on Tuesday said he will look to ensure that Test cricket forms the "bedrock" of the game in his tenure during which he will also try to "dismantle barriers that have hindered cricket's progress".

The 35-year-old Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary since 2019, will take over from the 62-year-old incumbent Greg Barclay on December 1 as the youngest ICC Chairman after the New Zealander decided against running for a third consecutive term of two years.

Also Read | Jay Shah Salary: How Much Will New ICC Chairman Jay Shah Earn?

"We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal," Shah said in a statement issued by the BCCI.

“I would like to work towards setting up a separate program for talent search during my tenure, and I look forward to your support in this program.”

Shah emphasised on further lifting the standards of the game across the globe.

(With PTI Inputs)