West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday used social media to subtly criticise Union Home Minister Amit Shah following the election of Shah’s son, Jay Shah, as Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Jay Shah, the current Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was elected unopposed as the next ICC Chairman. At 35, he will become the youngest person to hold the position when he officially takes over in December 2024, succeeding incumbent Greg Barclay.
In a tweet, Banerjee congratulated Shah with apparent sarcasm, amid ongoing unrest in West Bengal over the gang rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RC Kar Medical College and Hospital. "Congratulations, Union Home Minister!! Your son has not become a politician, but has become the ICC Chairman - a post much much more important than most politicians'!! Your son has indeed become very very powerful and I congratulate you on his this most elevated achievement indeed! Kudos!!" she wrote.
Jay Shah’s appointment as ICC Chairman marks a significant moment for Indian cricket, adding to the country’s influence within the global cricketing body. Shah will join the ranks of previous Indian ICC leaders including Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N. Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar.
Expressing gratitude, Shah said, “I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket. We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before.”
Shah also noted the significance of cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, calling it a key opportunity for the sport’s global growth. “The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways,” he added.
The election comes as Greg Barclay, the current ICC Chairman, announced he would not seek a third term, ending his tenure on November 30.
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