"Jay Shah Has Got...": Outgoing ICC Chairman's Honest Message With World Cricket "In A Mess"

Outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay believes Jay Shah has the ability to pull cricket out of the current "mess" and take it to another level but also cautioned his successor against keeping the game "under the yoke of India". Barclay, who stepped down from his position on December 1 after a four-year term in the middle of an ongoing crisis over the Champions Trophy venues, has acknowledged that cricket is witnessing challenging times. "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." 

He said Shah has the ability to bring India into the international fold even more. "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.

Barclay admitted that presently there is an overkill of cricket and at times he even lost track of the congested international calendar.

"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