The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has been reappointed president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for a third one-year term.
Shah’s continuance at the helm of the continental body also put paid to media speculation doing the rounds ahead of the AGM that he was likely to resign from his position at the ACC to run for the post of ICC chairman in November. Currently, the position is with New Zealand’s Greg Barclay and he has been in power since November 2020.
Shah’s reappointment as ACC president was decided at the ACC Annual General Meeting in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, 31st January, that saw attendance from member nations across the Asian region.
Numerous topics were reportedly up for discussion at the AGM, including the hosts for the next edition of the Asia Cup and its media rights distribution.
The extension of Shah’s term as ACC president was unanimously accepted at the AGM. Shah’s extension was proposed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Shammi Silva for the second year in a row.
Shah had taken over the reins of the ACC in January 2021 from Nazmul Hassan, president, Bangladesh Cricket Board, making him the youngest administrator to be appointed ACC president.
Expressing his gratitude, Shah said, “I am grateful to the ACC Board for their continued trust. We must remain committed to ensuring the all-round development of the sport with a special focus on regions where it is still in its infancy. The ACC is committed to nurturing cricket across Asia.”
Under Shah’s leadership, the ACC has achieved significant progress in promoting and developing cricket across the Asian region. Notably, the ACC successfully organized the Asia Cup in T20 format in 2022 and in ODI format in 2023, showcasing Asia’s capability in hosting premier cricket events.
Hosting events notwithstanding, Shah (wearing his hat as BCCI secretary) also had a major role to play in Asia Cup 2023, hosting rights for which were with the Pakistan Cricket Board, being played in a hybrid model as India remained adamant on not travelling to the neighbouring nation. This meant that Pakistan remained the hosts only in name, as all India matches, as well as the knockouts and the final, were played in Sri Lanka.
New ACC Members
The Japan Cricket Association (Japan) and Persutan Cricket Indonesia (Indonesia) were accepted as Full Members at the AGM, after progressing through a multi-stage evaluation process.
In addition to this, the Tajikistan Cricket Federation (Tajikistan) is also set to become part of the ACC family. To clarify, membership to Tajikistan has been granted at the AGM on a provisional basis, pending a successful site visit conducted by ACC officials, after which their Membership would then be accepted as permanent.
ACC’s new memberships demonstrate the organization’s commitment to expanding its horizons across the continent in diverse territories.
