ICC chairperson Jay Shah joins MCC's new advisory board

ICC CHAIRPERSON Jay Shah has been inducted into the newly formed World Cricket Connects Advisory Board, an independent group aimed at addressing challenges and opportunities in the sport. The board will meet during the World Cricket Connects forum at Lord’s on June 7 and 8.

Shah, who took over as ICC chairperson on December 1 last year, is also a former BCCI secretary and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in cricket. His participation in the forum provides an opportunity to share his ideas on a broader platform.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which oversees the laws of cricket, announced on Tuesday that the World Cricket Connects forum will return this year. The event brings together prominent voices in the game to discuss its future.

“The forum, which proved hugely popular in bringing together influential people from across all aspects of cricket in its inaugural year in 2024, will be held ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia,” MCC said in a statement.

The inaugural forum in 2024 saw around 120 prominent figures in cricket, including administrators, broadcasters, technology experts, coaches, and current and former players, gather in the Long Room at Lord’s.

MCC added that a new advisory board, called the World Cricket Connects Advisory Board (Connects Board), has been established to shape the forum’s agenda, facilitate discussions, and maximise its impact on the sport’s future.

The board replaces the MCC World Cricket committee, which was formed in 2006 and addressed issues such as day/night Tests, the World Test Championship, cricket in the Olympics, and anti-corruption measures.

Mark Nicholas, Chair of MCC, leads the working group for World Cricket Connects. “Firstly, we are delighted to be bringing World Cricket Connects back to Lord's in 2025, ahead of an immense meeting between South Africa and Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final.

"We are looking forward to welcoming many of the game's most influential figures to debate the most important topics that dominate global cricket,” Nicholas said.

He added: “An important step has been made in the forming of the World Cricket Connects Advisory Board. We have assembled an impressive group of the best minds in cricket across several different areas relevant to our sport. I am delighted to be working with this experienced group and excited about what we can collectively achieve for the benefit of the global game.”

• Kumar Sangakkara (Chair – Former Sri Lanka captain and former President of MCC)
• Anurag Dahiya (Chief Commercial Officer at ICC) Chris Dehring (CEO at West Indies Cricket)
• Sourav Ganguly (Former India captain and former President of BCCI)
• Sanjog Gupta (CEO – Sports, JioStar) Mel Jones (Former Australia international and broadcaster)
• Heather Knight (England captain) Trudy Lindblade (CEO at Cricket Scotland)
• Heath Mills (Executive Chair at World Cricketers’ Association)
• Imtiaz Patel (Former Chair of SuperSport, MultiChoice and DStv)
• Jay Shah (Chair of ICC) Graeme Smith (Former South Africa captain and League Commissioner at SA20)
• Andrew Strauss (Former England captain and former Director of Cricket at ECB)