The current President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Greg Barclay has announced that he will not be running for another term after his current term expires in November 2024. This decision has indeed provoked discussions, especially with BCCI Secretary Jay Shah being in the running as the leading candidate to succeed him. Nevertheless, Shah’s candidacy has come under scrutiny, as some have wondered what role, if any, he might have played in Barclay’s decision to not seek a third term.
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has looked into the issue and criticized the ‘Old Powers’ of cricket who are, in his opinion, trying to damage Shah’s reputation. Gavaskar implied that these traditional powers were nervous about the possible change in the ICC structure in case Shah happened to come to power. He clarified that their protests are a result of their dismay at the loss of influence in the international cricket scene.
Sunil Gavaskar in his columns at Sportstar wrote, “When Greg Barclay proclaimed his intension of not running for a third term, even though he might was well entitled to that, the stories came up about the Old Powers trying to impose the pressure on Shah on his side.”
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He added, “However, if they were asked about their own representatives being present at the ICC meeting, the criticism appeared to be useless. If really those forces threatened Barclay, why the oppositions from their side were not raised? The silence proves that they took responsibility for it, too.”
Gavaskar further remarked on the game of power in cricket, using the “Tall Poppy Syndrome,” where one of the players in power cuts the others down to size like Shah. He stated that the aversion to Shah being appointed at large is the result of the awareness that the old powers have lost control over the game globally.
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Under his administration, Shah has been showered with a lot of compliments for his role as BCCI Secretary. Pakistan made thinking outside the box its main strategy under which men’s and women’s cricket players got the same pay package and domestic red-ball cricket was promoted. Besides, Shah came up with the award of the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament in women’s and junior cricket tournaments, which showed that he is the most modern-minded cricket administrator.
