New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India is yet to decide who would replace Jaj Shah as secretary after he left the role to become the Internatonal Cricket Council’s chairperson.
Shah took over in his new role on December 1, replacing Greg Barclay who stepped down after four years at the helm. Shah became the ICC’s youngest chairperson, getting elected unopposed in August.
It left the BCCI with the task of find his successor as BCCI’s constitutional amendment in 2022 made secretary its most powerful office-bearer who has “all powers in relation to cricketing and non-cricketing matters”, with the CEO reporting to him.
BCCI’s joint secretary Devjit Saikia and Gujarat’s Anil Patel are believed to be in the reckoning to succeed Shah, with the name of DDCA president Rohan Jaitley also floating within the organisation.
“We don’t know what is happening. Everyone (BCCI officials and state units) is quiet on the matter. Most likely joint secretary (Saikia) will be interim for the time being,” a BCCI administrator told BCCI.
“There are issues that need to be dealt with on a day to day basis and anyone who comes in, needs to have a bit of knowledge on how the BCCI is run.”
45 days for SGM
As per BCCI’s constitution, a special general meeting must be called to find a successor 45 days within resignation of an officer bearer. Shah left the BCCI on November 30, giving the board time till mid-January to replace Shah.
A new electoral officer has to be appointed a minimum of four weeks before the election.
“Transition should have been complete by now. The secretary has to sign majority of documents. This matter should have been taken up at the AGM (in September) but nobody questioned at that time,” a state unit official told PTI.
“There is a power vacuum right now at the BCCI, the most powerful cricketing body in the world,” another state official was quoted as saying by PTI.
The BCCI is also yet to decide who will be its representative in the ICC board after Shah. BCCI president Roger Binny is one of ICC’s alternate directors while Indian Premier League chairman Arun Dhumal is in the ICC’s chief executives’ committee.
Jay Shah took over as ICC chair on December 1, replacing Greg Barclay who stepped down after four years at the helm. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
