Navigating the significant hurdles facing Jay Shah at the ICC

In the second term served by Shashank Manohar as International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, the Indian cricket board continued to support him, despite having their influence in the governing body significantly reduced. Manohar, a former Board of Control for Cricket in India head, made decisions that impacted the financial and overall standing of the Indian board, yet they stood by him.

After previously being outvoted, even the mighty BCCI - then administered by the Committee of Administrators - thought it right to sit over the table and seek a middle ground. Being able to read the room is a prerequisite in boardroom matters, where billions of sporting dollars are at stake and self-interest is all too common.

The tables have turned as even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not put up a candidate against Jay Shah, who won the right to become ICC’s next Chairman on Tuesday, uncontested.

The BCCI secretary’s ascent to the ICC Chair has been coming for a while. He could have contested and won four years back. But it would have been tougher. Two years back, the chair was his for the taking. The young administrator has chosen his moment to take the plunge; put a pause in his BCCI innings, aware that he stays on course to return home in three years.

Going by the five years of work in the BCCI, he is expected to operate in a hands-on manner in the new role as well. For one, he will not have to work overtime to win friends. He has the numbers already.

Even those who may have backed him reluctantly will be hopeful. With a BCCI man in charge, married with India’s unsatiable appetite for cricket, the Indian eyeballs do well to pay plenty of bills.

On the face of it, there isn’t much room for maneuver - the Future Tours Program, the world events cycle for the coming years and media rights are all in place; the World Test Championship is in motion, even the Olympic berth has been secured.

Whether Shah can bring in structural reforms to address the congested calendar and help member boards recover some autonomy over their players will be watched closely.

THE $3 BILLION POSER

As it often happens in federations, someone is always up in appeal. Like ICC media partners Disney Star. Soon to be a joint venture with Reliance controlled Viacom18, Star are seeking a discount on their $3 billion payout for 2024-27 India market media rights. Viacom 18-Star will hold the monopoly for all big cricket in India. But they are also in it for the long run.

With another man in charge, the ICC may have brazened it out. Shah holds the distinct advantage of having overseen media-rights distribution for ICC and the BCCI to the same set of broadcasters. “Negotiations may be in the offing with an eye on the next media rights round,” said an industry watcher.

STRATEGIC TEST FUND

What is on top of the wish list of the wider cricket community? “Share the wealth,” David Lloyd, former England player, coach and commentator said on ‘X’. Such commentary is more a Utopian idea that has never been fit for purpose. Especially in cricket, where India’s market share dwarfs everyone else’s.

Instead, what Shah has spoken of is a strategic fund for Test cricket, estimated to be in the range of $15 million ( ₹125 crore) or higher. This cost, it is understood would ensure minimum wages for players and cover visiting costs of Test playing nations other than India, England and Australia. Cricket West Indies had to incur a cost of $2 million for their recent tour of Australia according to their outgoing CEO Johnny Grave.

While that may be a good start, such funding would pale in comparison to the big money on offer to any cricketer who chooses to compete in a bouquet of T20 leagues.

There is plenty of commentary around the current World Test Championship, which, in its current avatar is nothing but a percentage scoring system based on the current FTP to decide the two finalists.

For there to be more Test cricket, there must be takers for it – among players and cricket boards. Going by Shah’s BCCI playbook and the revised Indian player contracts, would he be able to incentivise Test cricket beyond the Big Three?

“While T20 is a naturally exciting format, it is equally important that Test cricket remains a priority for everyone as it forms the bedrock of our game. We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal,” Shah said in his statement.

CAP ON T20 LEAGUES?

Other than funding, adoption of Test cricket at a wider level may demand a carrot and stick approach. The ICC would have to place a cap on the number of leagues a player contracted with his cricket board can compete in. There have been discussions to this effect, but the ICC, so far, hasn’t cracked the whip. Many of these talks may be linked to discussions over the 2028-31 Future Tours Program (FTP).

Cricket’s return to Olympics was based on ICC’s India pitch. Whichever qualification formula is finalised to make the top 6 competing nations, India’s men and women teams are expected to make it.

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