Jay Shah, BCCI Secretary, was unanimously elected as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Saturday (January 30). He will be replacing Nazmul Hasan of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in the top job of the continental body.
Shah, 32, is the youngest administrator to be named as the ACC President.
While addressing the AGM virtually, Shah said: “I accept this honour and I thank my esteemed colleagues at the BCCI for nominating me and considering me worthy of this prestigious position.
“Formed with a view to organize, develop and promote the sport in the region, the ACC has steadily grown in stature. The ACC continues to foster healthy rivalry among some of the biggest cricket playing nations while it also takes the sport deeper into the smaller pockets. We must remain committed to this cause and ensure there is an all-round development in the region.
“The pandemic has posed enormous challenges but history has shown that innovation often arises in periods of adversity and we must adapt and innovate to stay ahead. While I have noticed that most Boards have again started their cricketing operations with their senior team, the challenge still remains with women’s cricket and age-group cricket. The ACC has done pioneering work in both women’s cricket and age-group with the multiple tournaments it conducts across the year and we must build on this,” he added.
The biggest challenge before Shah would now be to conduct the Asia Cup – a tournament which has been in jeopardy because of the participation of neighbouring rivals, India and Pakistan. The 2020 edition of the competition could not take place due to COVID-19 pandemic and has been postponed to June 2021. The venue and dates for the forthcoming Asia Cup are yet to be finalised.
(With BCCI inputs)
