ICC chair Jay Shah adds another feather to his illustrious administrative cap

The former BCCI secretary and the current ICC chair, Jay Shah, has added another feather to his already-illustrious-looking administrative cap by joining the new Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) advisory board, replacing the club’s World Cricket Committee.

Shah was among notable absentees from the inaugural World Cricket Connects forum last year (staged by the MCC), where over 100 leading voices discussed the state of the game at Lord’s; however, he is now among the 13 founding members of this new board, chaired by Kumar Sangakkara – the MCC President.

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The MCC announced on Thursday that the Lord’s will host the second World Cricket Connects forum on June (7 and 8) before staging the third edition of the World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia starting June 11.

"We are looking forward to welcoming many of the game's most influential figures to debate the most important topics that dominate global cricket,” MCC chair Mark Nicholas said.

Meanwhile, the new advisory board has replaced the World Cricket Committee (formed in 2006), which last met during the previous summer. Besides, the other founding members of this new board include Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Smith, Andrew Strauss, and England women's captain Heather Knight, alongside JioStar's CEO (Sports), Sanjog Gupta.

"An important step has been made in the forming of the World Cricket Connects Advisory Board," Nicholas said.

"We have assembled an impressive group of the best minds in cricket across several different areas relevant to our sport. I am delighted to be working with this experienced group and excited about what we can collectively achieve for the benefit of the global game,” he added.

New board, new role

The now-dissolved World Cricket Committee was an independent body, holding no formal powers; however, the ICC often adopted its recommendations that included calls for a Decision Review System (DRS), the formation of the WTC, the introduction of the Pink-Ball Test and the use of the shot clock to improve the slow over-rates.

However, the MCC declared the new advisory body’s role, stating, "This independent group will shape the annual World Cricket Connects agenda, help facilitate the event's discussions, and in turn, maximise the opportunity for genuine impact on the health of the game."

Kumar Sangakkara (chair), Anurag Dahiya (ICC chief commercial officer), Chris Dehring (CWI CEO), Sourav Ganguly, Sanjog Gupta (JioStar CEO - Sports), Mel Jones, Heather Knight, Trudy Lindblade (Cricket Scotland CEO), Heath Mills (World Cricketers' Association chair), Imtiaz Patel (Former SuperSport chair), Jay Shah, Graeme Smith and Andrew Strauss

(With inputs from agencies)