Picture Credit: X

Picture Credit: X

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah and former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President and cricketer Sourav Ganguly have been inducted in the World Cricket Advisory Board. Notably, this move comes after the ICC constituted of World Cricket Connects Advisory Board, which aims to discuss challenges and opportunities in the sport.

Jay Shah, who is considered to be the most influential man in the world of cricket, is also part of the ‘World Cricket Connects’ forum, which was announced by the custodian of the laws of cricket, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) earlier this week. In the forum, Shah aims to convey his ideas to take forward the growth of cricket across the globe.

Jay Shah and Sourav Ganguly appointed in World Cricket Advisory Board

The MCC on Tuesday, January 21 announced the ‘World Cricket Connects’, an event to bring together prominent thinkers, voices and influencers of the game of cricket. While in 2024, it was held on June 7 and 8, this year, it will take place during the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia. “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 confirmed in its release.

"As the Club evolves the World Cricket Connects concept, the aim is for it to become the leading symposium in the game, facilitating the debate of strategic issues in an independent forum and establishing a consensus on paths to ensure cricket's future success," the release stated. "To achieve this objective, MCC has revealed that a new World Cricket Connects Advisory Board (Connects Board) has been formed. This independent group will shape the annual World Cricket Connects agenda, help facilitate the event's discussions and in turn maximise the opportunity for genuine impact on the health of the game," it further added.

While the Connects Board will work closely with the World Cricket Connects, it will be led by Chair of MCC, Mark Nicholas. The former English cricketer also expressed delight on welcoming the members of the board, which includes the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Mel Jones, Heather Knight, along with others.

List of members of the World Cricket Advisory Board

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 current 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).