Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah is all set to replace the incumbent Greg Barclay as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), reports suggest.
With Barclay ruling out a third term following the end of his tenure on November 30, all eyes are on Shah, as the last date for filing nominations for the chairman's post—August 27—approaches.
Barclay can remain the chairman for another two years, as an ICC chairman is eligible for three terms of two years each. But, the New Zealand-based attorney decided against running for the post, after being, reportedly, informed of Shah's intention to replace him.
Also, Shah is believed to have the backing of the Australian and English cricket boards, which will take care of the numbers game. The chairman's election is decided by 16 votes. A simple majority of nine votes is needed for the winner now, instead of the two-third maority that was norm earlier.
Barclay is learnt to have informed the ICC director, including Cricket Australia's chair Mike Baird, of his decision.
"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.
If there is more than one candidate, an election will be held. The new Chair's term will commence on December 1, 2024.
Shah, who is also the head of ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs sub-committee, has another one year left as the BCCI secretary before the mandatory cooling off period of three years from October, 2025.
Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N. Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar are the Indians who have chaired the ICC in the past. At 35, Shah, if elected, will be the youngest ICC chairman.