ICC kick-starts election process; Barclay not to seek 3rd term

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set the ball rolling for the chairman election process. It opens with immediate effect, with interested candidates required to send in his or her nomination as early as August 27.

However, whether there will be an election is a million dollar question as all eyes are on Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He is expected to be a strong contender. However, the BCCI secretary, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has been tight-lipped on the matter.

"For the election to proceed, at least one additional candidate must enter the race and it's not clear whether there will be a contest at all," said an ICC source in the know of things. "It will depend on what Mr Jay Shah decides. If he files nomination, there will be no election. He will be elected unopposed," the source added.

Whether or not Shah contests, it is now clear that the ICC will have a new chairman as incumbent Greg Barclay has decided not to seek a third term. The ICC has confirmed that the New Zealander will step down from the post once his current term ends at the end of November. The new chairman will take charge from December 1.

The ICC outlined the timeline for the election process. "Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on 1 December 2024," the ICC said in a statement after its Board meeting, held virtually, on Tuesday.

Unlike the incumbent, the new chairman will hold a term of three years. Currently the term of the Chair is for two years. Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in November 2022.