The ICC chairperson Jay Shah has been appointed to the newly formed World Cricket Connects Advisory Board, an independent group that will convene at Lord’s on June 7 and 8 to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the sport.
Shah, who is considered the most influential figure in world cricket, took over as ICC chairperson on December 1 last year, and his participation in the ‘World Cricket Connects’ forum presents an opportunity for him to share his ideas on a broader platform.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardian of the laws of cricket, announced that World Cricket Connects, an event that brings together the most prominent thinkers, voices, and influencers in the game, will take place again this year.
“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,” said MCC in release.
Last July, the inaugural event saw around 120 leading voices in cricket gather in the Long Room, including representatives from the ICC’s full and associate nations, leading broadcasters, technology experts, coaches, and both current and former international players.
“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.”
The Connects Board will replace the MCC World Cricket committee, and many of the global game’s areas previously debated and influenced by the committee will now be included and discussed by the Connects Board.
Established in 2006 as an independent body, the committee completed important work across various topics, including day/night Tests, the World Test Championship, speeding up the pace of play, cricket in multi-format sports events like the Olympics, and stronger anti-corruption deterrents.
The Connects Board will collaborate closely with the World Cricket Connects working group, led by MCC Chair Mark Nicholas.
“Firstly, we are delighted to be bringing World Cricket Connects back to Lord’s in 2025, ahead of an immense meeting between South Africa and Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final.
“We are looking forward to welcoming many of the game’s most influential figures to debate the most important topics that dominate global cricket,” Nicholas said.
“In planning the second event, an important step has been made in the forming of the World Cricket Connects Advisory Board. We have assembled an impressive group of the best minds in cricket across several different areas relevant to our sport.
“I am delighted to be working with this experienced group and excited about what we can collectively achieve for the benefit of the global game,” he added.
MCC said the following names have accepted invitations to join the 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).
