ICC Chairman Greg Barclay to step down in November; Could Jay Shah be next leader?

Dubai: Greg Barclay confirmed to the board that he would step down as the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairperson after his tenure ends in November.

Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected unopposed in 2022, as per an ICC media release.

Current directors are required to submit nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024. If there are more than two candidates, an election will be held, with the new Chair's term beginning on 1 December 2024.

With Greg confirming his resignation, there is speculation that BCCI Secretary Jay Shah might throw his hat in the ring.

Jay Shah is a significant figure in the ICC boardroom. As the head of the influential Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) sub-committee, Shah is noted for his considerable influence and enjoys substantial support among the 16 voting members.

Shah’s prominence in the cricketing world is further highlighted by his current role as BCCI Secretary, a position he is slated to hold for one more year before entering a mandatory three-year cooling-off period starting in October 2025. According to the BCCI constitution, an office bearer may serve for up to six years before a cooling-off period is required, with a maximum cumulative term of 18 years—split between nine years in a state association and nine in the BCCI.

If Shah opts to transition to the ICC now, he will have four years remaining in his BCCI term. This move could significantly reshape the landscape of cricket governance, reflecting Shah’s impact on the game.

Earlier in the day, the ICC confirmed that the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 has been moved out of Bangladesh and will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The highly-anticipated ninth edition of the tournament will now take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) continuing to host the event.

The tournament will take place across the two venues in the UAE - Dubai and Sharjah - from 3 to 20 October.

In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice expressed regret and said BCB would have staged a memorable event.

"It is a shame not to be hosting the Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event," Allardice was quoted by ICC as saying.

He added that the ICC will look forward to taking an ICC event to Bangladesh in the future.

"I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn't feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future," he added.

"I'd also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026," he added.The UAE, home to the ICC headquarters, has become a significant hub for cricket in recent years, hosting numerous qualifier tournaments as well as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021 alongside Oman. (With inputs from Agencies)