The process of electing a new chairman for the International Cricket Council (ICC) has commenced, with the international federation expected to get a new head by December. It opens with immediate effect and the interested parties should submit their nominations by August 27 at the latest.

But since Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is the center of attention, it’s a million-dollar question whether there will be an election. He is anticipated to be a formidable competitor. The president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and secretary of the BCCI, however, has remained silent about the topic at hand.

“For the election to proceed, at least one additional candidate must enter the race and it’s not clear whether there will be a contest at all,” said an ICC source in the know of things. “It will depend on what Mr Jay Shah decides. If he files a nomination, there will be no election. He will be elected unopposed,” the source added.

It is now certain that the ICC will have a new chairman regardless of Shah’s candidacy, as current chairman Greg Barclay has chosen not to run for a third term. The New Zealander’s resignation from the position will take effect at the end of November, as announced by the ICC. On December 1, the new chairman will assume leadership.

The election timeline was provided by the ICC. “Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on 1 December 2024,” the ICC said in a statement after its Board meeting, held virtually, on Tuesday.

The incoming chairman, in contrast to the current one, will serve a three-year term. The Chair’s current tenure is set for two years. Prior to being re-elected in November 2022, Barclay was selected as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020.