Talent search, Test cricket and women’s cricket among others in Jay Shah’s focus as chairman of ICC

Jay Shah, the new International Cricket Council chairman, said a separate programme for talent search, driving cricketers to embrace Test cricket and allocating more resources to women’s cricket and differently-abled cricket are some of his goals that he would like to realise during his tenure as the chair of the ICC.

In a media statement after he was elected unopposed, Jay Shah, said his primary focus will be to elevate the standards of the game globally. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to ICC’s Member Boards for placing their trust in me to take over this prestigious role of the Chairman of the ICC. I want to assure you that I will do everything possible to elevate the standard of our game across the globe. As I step into this pivotal role, I am resolutely committed to meeting your high expectations and dedicating myself to the beautiful game of cricket,” he said in a media statement.

Jay Shah is not new to administration. His first tryst with cricket administration commenced at the district and state level in 2009 when he worked with the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad (CBCA) and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) as an executive.

He soon became the joint secretary of the GCA in 2013 and was instrumental in developing cricket in Gujarat at the grassroots level.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world’s largest cricket stadium, was conceptualised and built during his tenure.

He soon became the BCCI secretary and was the Indian cricket board’s representative in the ICC. He also assumed office as the president of the Asian Cricket Council and later became a member of the board at the ICC.

He also served the ICC in the role of ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) Committee and played a key role in advocating for cricket to be included in events like the Commonwealth Games.

Throwing light on to his goals as the chair of the ICC, Jay Shah said: “I would also 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. While the T20 is a naturally exciting format, it is equally important that Test cricket remains a priority for everyone as it forms the bedrock of our game. We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal.”

He added that he would allocate more resources to the development of women’s cricket and differently-abled cricket too. “We must champion the ICC’s mission further by allocating more resources and attention to Women's Cricket and Differently-abled Cricket. Together, we can empower these essential facets of the sport, making them not just visible but vibrant and thriving,” Jay Shah’s statement read.