Greg Barclay, who made way for Jay Shah as the International Cricket Council (ICC chairperson on December 1, believes the former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary has it in him to help the sport grow and reach the “another level”. However, he added that Shah must take all members together on this journey and not keep it “under the yoke of India.”
Barclay, who was ICC chair for four years from 2020, said the Indian cricket team and BCCI under Shah’s leadership can use their influence to grow the game globally and benefit growing nations.

“I think he (Shah) has got a great opportunity to use what he’s got in his background to help India take the game to another level, but without making it sort of under the yoke of India as well,” Barclay was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
“We’re really lucky to have India, they’re a massive contributor to the game across all the measures, but one country having that amount of power and influence does distort a whole lot of other outcomes, which is not necessarily helpful in terms of that global growth.”
“There are a number of things that India could do to help unite and grow the game, including commercially helping to pool off-shore rights, using their teams to give opportunity to smaller full members and emerging countries, using their clout to open new territories and markets, collaborating closely with the ICC to help benefit members, as examples,” he said.
On congested calendar
Barclay, who stepped down from his role on December 1, in the midst of an ongoing crisis over the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, admitted there was plenty of cricket being played that he had lost track of the calendar.
In his tenure of two terms of two years each, three major franchise-based T20 leagues popped up, in the USA, the UAE and South Africa, further busying an already packed calendar. He blamed the members’ self-interest for the situation.
“I reckon, gee, I’m at the apex of the game and I can’t tell you who’s playing around the world. In fact, I didn’t realise that Sri Lanka were in South Africa until I read about Marco Jansen’s seven wickets this morning,” Barclay said. “So we’ve lost perspective. It’s not great for the game at all. It’s a mess. The calendar is incredibly congested and self-interest is such that it’s almost impossible to untangle all of that, because no one’s going to give up their content.”
‘Not the Afghanistan board’s fault’
The Canadian-New Zealand sports administrator also defended the governing body’s decision not to sanction Afghanistan’s Full Membership status for Afghanistan Cricket Board not fielding a women’s team. Fielding a women’s team is integral to getting Full Membership with the ICC.
“It is not the Afghanistan board’s fault. They used to have women’s cricket. I think our approach has been right,” he said. “It would be easy to kick Afghanistan out, but their board haven’t done anything wrong. They’re just working under a decree and a series of laws that says this is what you have to do. I don’t think it would make a jot of difference to the ruling party there to kick them out.
“Maybe I’m a little naïve, but I think cricket is such a force for good there, and it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. It is better to leave it there and hope that it can foster a bit of a change.”
He did point to the double standards of the national cricket boards, such as Cricket Australia, who have cancelled multiple bilateral series with Afghanistan but have played them at ICC events.
“If you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup. Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”