Fans criticise ICC for promoting chairman Jay Shah's personal achievements

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has come under scrutiny after sharing a social media post highlighting its chairman Jay Shah's inclusion in a list of the most powerful Indians.

The post, shared via the ICC's official accounts, referenced Shah's rise to 22nd position in the IE100 list for 2026.

"It is said that power and responsibility go hand-in-hand. This recognition is well-deserved and one that will definitely motivate our chairman [Jay Shah] to strive harder towards loftier goals for the Sport," the ICC wrote.

However, the post did not sit well with cricket fans, who deemed it unrelated to cricket, with many questioning the global governing body over disseminating what appeared to be a personal achievement of its chairman rather than sport-specific updates.

The fans further argued that ICC platforms should be reserved for cricket-related matters, with several critics suggesting that the organisation's channels were being used for individual promotion, raising concerns about professionalism and the appropriate use of official communication platforms.

"Shame on ICC for [stooping] this low. They are acting as a Social Media PR for Jay Shah... Ridiculous," a cricket enthusiast bearing the username DoctorofCricket wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another cricket fan urged the ICC to focus on cricket rather than hyping up the personal achievements of its chairman, while describing the post as "embarrassing".

"Shocking that [ICC] is now playing personal PR agent for Chairman Jay Shah — breathlessly reporting his climb up some Indian power list," an individual bearing the username @DrAwab wrote on X.

"Shouldn't a global governing body stay away from hyping its own chairman's personal achievements?

"Let independent media do the cheerleading. Focus on cricket, not cult of personality. This is embarrassing."

For the unversed, the ICC and its chairman Shah also drew criticism last year over the latter's repeated appearances in the highlights promo of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa.

In the 45-second WTC final video, Shah appeared a total of 11 times — from his entry into the ground to presenting the ICC Test Mace to the winning team at the closing ceremony.

As soon as the video was released, fans heavily criticised the ICC in the comment section and trolled them, and the content was eventually removed.