The Spin | Glitzy socials are one thing but it is more valuable to hear cricket’s most important voice

An image is being formed that cricket has been blessed with a brilliant administrator taking it to extraordinary heights. Shah, of course, can point to the revolutionary Women’s Premier League, established during his time at the BCCI, to the rude health of India’s national teams, to the construction of a gargantuan stadium in Gujarat named after his father’s political partner.

Jay Shah was front and centre of the celebrations after India retained the T20 World Cup in March. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

But now at the centre of the whole thing, there is plenty to do, several questions still to answer. The visuals are bountiful but where are the words, particularly those of substance? Shah’s award speeches are easy to find but interviews of him are scarce. Do we actually know what his vision is? What are those “loftier goals”? When he was elected, a BCCI statement quoted him wanting to prioritise Test cricket, dedicate more attention to the women’s game, and make the sport more inclusive. Those were welcome noises but not backed up with any great detail.

What we are left with is the Jay Shah show, something that would be a touch more acceptable if the game’s governance was in good order. The World Cricketers’ Association report on cricket’s global structure, published last year, arguesotherwise. It is a scathing state-of-play read, criticising the “chaotic” scheduling that creates an uncomfortable relationship between international and franchise cricket, scrutinising the inequitable distribution of ICC revenues and maintaining that the governing body, well, doesn’t govern. “No one is actually in charge of the sport as a genuine custodian of the global game as a whole,” the report says, proposing the formation of an independently chaired committee to make recommendations to the ICC board. That the players’ body felt the need to compile the report feels like an indictment in itself.

The same issues exist a year on, all while ICC events fracture at the mercy of geopolitics. As Shah joyfully roamed the Ahmedabad field last month, he had presided over a tournament hurt by the absence of Bangladesh – kickstarted by the BCCI instructing the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League – and Pakistan’s initial reluctance to play India.

This is a sport in desperate need for strong, transparent leadership, and those who care for it should know exactly what the person at the top has planned. What we have at the moment are those so-called visuals for the ages. It would be helpful to hear something, too.

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