New Delhi: International Cricket Council chairperson Jay Shah and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been inducted into the advisory board of newly instituted independent group called World Cricket Connects.
They are expected to be part of a discussion, to be held at the Lord’s cricket ground on June 7 and 8, where multiple challenges and opportunities in cricket will be deliberated upon.
Shah took over as ICC chairman on December 1 of last year and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of the laws of cricket, announced the event plans to bring together leading voices and will held again once later in the 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,” the MCC said in a statement.
Leading figures
It the first such programme around 120 influential figures gathered in the Long Room of Lord’s in July of lat year.
“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.”
These influential figures include cricket administrators, broadcasters, technology experts, coaches and players – current and former. The board will work together with the World Cricket Connects working group that is led by MCC’s chairperson 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,” Nicholas said.
“We are looking forward to welcoming many of the game’s most influential figures to debate the most important topics that dominate global cricket.”
“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.
Those who 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).
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