Jay Shah could serve two three-year terms as ICC chair after Board recommendations

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has recently proposed significant changes to the tenures of its top leadership positions, with the terms of ICC Chair and Independent Director suggested to be extended.

Currently, the ICC Chair and Independent Director positions are limited to a maximum of three terms of two years each. However, the ICC Board has recommended amending these to two terms of three years each. This proposal will now be circulated to the ICC's member nations for approval.

If approved, the new term limits would bring the ICC in line with the governance structure at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), where office-bearers can serve a maximum of two three-year terms.

Jay Shah, the current BCCI Secretary, will take over as the ICC Chair from December 1 for his first term. He could get two terms of three years each instead of three terms of two years each if the proposal is accepted by the Board members. This change to longer, but fewer, terms is intended to provide greater stability and continuity in the ICC's leadership.

Also Read: Jay Shah to remain BCCI Secretary ahead of Apex Council meeting

ICC CEC approves changes in women's international calendar, rankings system

The ICC Board meeting in Dubai also saw some other important developments as the Board approved a series of new women's cricket tournaments for Associate Member nations in a bid to boost the competitiveness of these teams ahead of the expansion of ICC women's events in the 2028-2031 cycle.

This includes the creation of two annual T20 International tournaments between 2025 and 2028, providing structured cricket and opportunities for 24 teams in the pathway to the 16-team ICC Women's T20 World Cup planned for 2030.

Additionally, the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) has approved changes to the women's international cricket calendar and rankings system. The annual update of the women's team rankings will now move from October 1 to May 1, and the minimum number of matches required for teams to be ranked has been increased from six to eight.

The CEC also confirmed the mechanism for granting ODI status to five Associate Member women's teams for the 2025-2029 cycle. This will involve a maximum of two Associate teams qualifying for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025, with the remaining slots determined by the ICC T20I team rankings.