BCCI to felicitate Jay Shah at special general meeting

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Special General Meeting (SGM) will be held in Mumbai on Sunday, January 12. Jay Shah, who was the former BCCI secretary, is now the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman. Shah will be felicitated by the BCCI’s state units during the SGM, as he became the youngest ICC chairman after being elected unopposed in August 2023.

Shah replaced Greg Barclay, who opted for voluntary retirement and did not seek a third term. It is worth noting that, Shah held the BCCI secretary position since October 2019 and was also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021. However, though he is being felicitated, he will not be part of SGM as he no longer holds any position in the BCCI.

Shah has been vocal about his vision to expand the presence of cricket globally, especially in the countries where the game has little presence. He recently met top officials of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics organizing committee to hold talks on including the sports in the upcoming Summer Games.

It is worth noting that, cricket will make a return in the Olympics after 128 years with the 2028 Los Angeles Games. It is not yet confirmed that the game will be included in the 2032 edition in Brisbane. Apart from the Olympics, the game will undergo certain changes within its realm. The first of it will be bringing a two-tier system in the World Test Championship cycle.

Previously, the 10 countries notified as the Test playing nations tussled in the two-year-long WTC cycle. With the new two-tier system, the countries will be bifurcated into two groups, with the major teams comprising Tier 1 and rest in the Tier 2. This has also drawn immense flak from cricketing nations like the West Indies.