ICC Chairman Election: Jay Shah’s Potential Candidacy and Associate Member Directors’ Poll

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to hold its Annual Conference in Colombo from July 19 to 22, but the election for the chairman position will not be on the agenda. Instead, the new chairman will be elected in November, giving Jay Shah, the widely tipped candidate, at least three months to decide if he wishes to take on the role. Shah, if elected, will serve a three-year term as ICC chairman, after which he will be eligible to become the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2028.

Shah has been non-committal about his interest in the chairman position, which is currently held by Greg Barclay, who has been in the role for the past four years. Barclay is eligible for another term and may be interested in continuing, but if Shah contests, he is likely to be elected unopposed. The ICC has recently amended the tenure of the chairman, changing it from three terms of two years each to two terms of three years each.

The ICC headquarters is currently located in Dubai, and there have been speculations about Shah’s potential role in the ICC and the possibility of relocating the headquarters to Mumbai. However, Shah has no plans to move the headquarters, but he is believed to be interested in bringing changes within the ICC, especially after the chaotic conduct of the recent Twenty20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies.

The Annual Conference will also feature the election for the Associate Member Directors, which will be held on July 19. Eleven candidates are vying for the three positions on the ICC Board of Directors, each serving a term of two years. The current directors are Pankaj Khimji of Oman, Imran Khwaja of Singapore, and Neil Speight of Bermuda.

The other candidates include Sam Arthur of Costa Rica, Dr. Rudie Van Vuuren of Namibia, Sankar Renganathan of Sierra Leone, Mubashshir Usmani of the UAE, Gurumurthy Palani of France, Mahinda Vallipuram of Malaysia, Stephen Musaele of Rwanda, and Mahmood Gaznavi of Singapore. Mubashshir Usmani, a member of the Chief Executives Committee (CEC), is a serious candidate, and Sankar Renganathan, an Indian with connections across all five continents, is another strong contender.

Renganathan has worked in Asia and the Americas and currently represents Sierra Leone, an African nation, and has been proposed by Germany, a European member. He has stated that his vision is to transform the future of cricket, empowering Associate Members and enriching the global cricket ecosystem.

A total of 45 Associate members, including 40 voting Associates and five non-voting Associates from five different zones - Africa, Americas, East Asia Pacific, Asia, and Europe - will be electing the three directors. The election will be conducted using an electronic voting system, which allows for anonymous voting. In the event of the electronic system not working, the vote will be conducted as a manual vote by secret ballot.

According to the ICC manual, if there is still a tie after the first round of voting, the candidates involved will be asked to agree between themselves which of them should be appointed. In circumstances where the candidates are not able to agree, a coin toss will decide the successful candidate.

This election is an important step in shaping the future of cricket, and students preparing for competitive exams should be aware of the key players and the process involved in the election.

Historical Context:

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has undergone significant changes in recent years, including the introduction of a new constitution in 2014, which aimed to increase the representation of Associate Members and improve the governance of the organization. The ICC has also faced challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted the scheduling and conduct of international cricket matches.

In 2020, the ICC introduced a new structure for its Board of Directors, which includes Associate Member Directors, who are elected by the Associate Members. This change aimed to increase the representation of Associate Members and provide a more diverse perspective on the ICC Board.

The current ICC Chairman, Greg Barclay, has been in the role since 2018 and is eligible for another term. The election of the new Chairman will be held in November, and Jay Shah, the current CEO of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is widely tipped to take on the role.

Summary in Bullet Points:

• The ICC Annual Conference will be held from July 19 to 22 in Colombo, but the election for the Chairman position will not be on the agenda. • The new Chairman will be elected in November, giving Jay Shah at least three months to decide if he wishes to take on the role. • Shah has been non-committal about his interest in the Chairman position, which is currently held by Greg Barclay. • The ICC has recently amended the tenure of the Chairman, changing it from three terms of two years each to two terms of three years each. • The Annual Conference will also feature the election for the Associate Member Directors, which will be held on July 19. • Eleven candidates are vying for the three positions on the ICC Board of Directors, each serving a term of two years. • The election will be conducted using an electronic voting system, which allows for anonymous voting. • If there is still a tie after the first round of voting, the candidates involved will be asked to agree between themselves which of them should be appointed. In circumstances where the candidates are not able to agree, a coin toss will decide the successful candidate. • The election is an important step in shaping the future of cricket, and students preparing for competitive exams should be aware of the key players and the process involved in the election. • Jay Shah, if elected, will serve a three-year term as ICC Chairman, after which he will be eligible to become the president of the BCCI in 2028.