Jay Shah's big decision hangs over Crickets associate members election

The expected appointment of India coach Jay Shah as chairman of the International Cricket Council has had a major impact on the important election of Associate Member Directors later this week in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

There have long been rumours that Shah, the sport's most influential administrator, most notably seen when he took to the podium after India's T20 World Cup victory, will be a candidate to lead world cricket.

The next chairman election will be held later this year, when current chairman Greg Barclay's second two-year term expires. The chairman's term has been changed from a maximum of three two-year terms to two three-year terms, but Barclay can stand for one more term.

All eyes are on Shah and industry sources expect him to take the reins.

Shah, whose father Amit Shah is India's home minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-hand man, became secretary of the Indian Cricket Association in 2019 but will not be eligible to run for president until 2028.

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Meanwhile, Shah is offering the chance to officially run the ICC – some believe he already has a global impact as the head of cricket's richest and most powerful governing body. He also heads the ICC's all-important Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee.

Some influential cricket administrators appear to be bracing themselves for Shah to enter the ring where it would almost certainly be a losing battle for his challengers.

It is understood that ICC vice-chairman Imran Khwaja, who ran against Barclay in the 2020 chairmanship election, and board member Tavengwa Mukuhlani, who withdrew from the 2022 contest, are unlikely to run.

Until then, Khwaja is one of 11 candidates – as I revealed last month – vying for three coveted positions on the ICC's all-powerful board.

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Shah's shadow has been present during this Associate election campaign. It is believed that he has been active behind the scenes, ostensibly because he wanted his preferred candidates on a board that he could soon run.

It is unclear who he prefers. Khwaja is the incumbent president, along with Neil Speight (Bermuda) and Pankaj Khimji (Oman).

They are competing against a host of high-profile candidates, including former Associate Member Director Mahinda Vallipuram, who lost his place on the board two years ago but has worked closely with Shah at the Asian Cricket Council in recent years.

Rising executive Mubashshir Usmani, who is a member of the Chief Executives' Committee and helped set up the UAE's successful T20 league, is seen as one of the favourites, while Gurumurthy Palani (France) is said to have waged a broad and vigorous campaign.

A wildcard could be former US cricket executive Sankar Renganathan, who represents Sierra Leone. He has been an outspoken critic of troubled USA Cricket, which is facing a “notice” for failing to uphold its ICC Associate membership.

A seat on the ICC board could give Renganathan a springboard to become prominent in American cricket again. “I am open to contributing to the growth of the sport in any region, including the US,” Renganathan told me. “We have yet to fully penetrate the US market and tap into the country's enormous potential.

“We are at a critical juncture in cricket’s journey. While commercial progress has been significant, sustaining growth requires exploring new markets and avenues.”

The other candidates are Mahmood Gaznavi (Singapore), Rudie van Vuuren (Namibia), Stephen Musaele (Rwanda) and Sam Arthur (Costa Rica).