Jay Shah, the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has made a massive revelation that he has never been a part of any news leaks across any media channels during his tenure as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Shah has said that he follows similar practice during his ongoing term with the ICC as well.
Notably, there is a rumour in journalism circles that Shah has his friends in the media who get access to news and leak it before it becomes official. However, the ICC chairman has straightaway quashed the rumour, falsifying the claims made by members of the media.
"I have never leaked any news to any reporter during my tenure as BCCI Secretary or as ICC Chairman. I respect the Chair," Shah said at the SJFI Convention.
2019 to 2026 is a golden period for Indian team: Jay Shah
At the same event, held in New Delhi, Shah also expressed his views on how the last seven years have been the most fruitful ones for the Indian team across age groups and genders. He reflected on how different Indian teams throughout this period have won multiple trophies, with the men's team winning a staggering three ICC titles (two T20 World Cups and a Champions Trophy).
"2019 to 2026, this period proved to be very important for the BCCI and India. We won two U19 Women's tournaments. We won two U19 Men's tournaments. We were runners-up twice in the World Test Championship. We were runners-up once in the ODI World Cup. We won the T20 World Cup twice. And we also won the Champions Trophy. That is why the period from 2019 to 2026 proved to be golden years for all of us," Shah said.
It is worth mentioning that Jay Shah has been one of the most influential administrators of Indian as well as international cricket. During his time as the BCCI secretary, he introduced several groundbreaking policies, including pay parity for male and female cricketers. He also started the Women's Premier League, similar to the IPL, which has grown in popularity multifold since its inaugural edition in 2023.