Greg Barclay has decided to step down from the ICC chairmanship position on November 30, following the end of his third term. The development has sparked speculations about BCCI secretary Jay Shah taking over the role in the future.
Shah’s decision to run for the ICC chairman position will be revealed by August 27, the last date for filing nominations. An ICC chairman is eligible for three terms of two years each and Barclay has already completed four years.
“ICC Chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the Board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022,” the ICC stated in a media release.
“Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on 1 December 2024.”
According to the ICC rules for the chairmanship post, the election comprises 16 votes, and hence, a simple majority of nine votes (51%) is required for the winner, as opposed to the earlier rule where the incumbent needed to have a two-thirds majority. Shah, who currently heads ICC’s all-powerful Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) subcommittee, is among the most influential figures in cricket administration, and he enjoys a lot of goodwill with most of the 16 voting members.
At just 35, Shah could become the youngest ICC chairman ever, thus joining the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar in the list of Indians who have headed the ICC in the past.
However, according to the BCCI constitution approved by the Supreme Court, an office bearer can stay for six before he needs to go for a cooling off of three years. In all, a person can stay in office for a cumulative period of 18 years, – nine in state association and nine in BCCI. If Shah decides to move to ICC with a year of his secretaryship still left, he will have four years left in the BCCI.
