Jay Shah takes ICC helm amid Champions Trophy 2025 deadlock

As the ‘fog of uncertainty’ hangs over the Champions Trophy 2025 being hosted in Pakistan, Jay Shah, former honorary secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), took over as president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday.

In his first statement as ICC President, Shah outlined his priorities for his tenure, including leveraging the sport’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as a pivotal opportunity as well as further accelerating the development of the women’s game.

“I am honored to take on the role of ICC president and am grateful for the trust placed in me. This is an exciting time for the sport as we prepare for the LA28 Olympics and work to make cricket more inclusive and engaging for fans around the world,” he said in a statement.

The 35-year-old emphasized accelerating the development of the women’s game, saying: “We are at a critical juncture with the coexistence of multiple formats and the need to accelerate the development of the women’s game.”

“Cricket has enormous potential worldwide and I look forward to working closely with the ICC team and member countries to seize these opportunities and take the sport to new heights,” he concluded.

Shah’s arrival at the ICC office is very likely to be important in the final decision on hosting the prestigious tournament.

The tournament, scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year, has become a bone of contention between Pakistan and India, with the BCCI refusing to send its team to Pakistan citing security concerns despite assurances.

sources said Geo News that cricket’s international governing body has started mulling the ‘partnership formula’ in a bid to end the impasse over hosting the Champions Trophy.

Under the new formula, India will play all ICC matches, which are supposed to be played in Pakistan, in Dubai and Pakistan will also play their matches, which are scheduled to be played in India, in Dubai, the sources said .

The formula will be valid for the next three years from Champions Trophy 2025, they said, adding that the issue of CT scheduling and venue is expected to be put to rest. So, the sources said, India and Pakistan will not play any tournament in each other’s countries during this period.

A day ago, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had expressed optimism that a “long-term” formula, which would be beneficial to both countries and cricket, would be created and applied to all future ICC events.

“We will not allow unilateral decisions […] Decisions should be taken on the basis of equality,” Naqvi, who is also the interior minister, had told reporters in Dubai on Saturday.