The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah was on Saturday unanimously elected as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). 

The 32-year-old replaces Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) chief Nazmul Hussain to become the youngest to take charge of the post.

The ACC is Asia's regional administrative body and it currently consists of 24 member associations. ACC is responsible for organizing the Asia Cup tournaments. The 2020 edition of the Asia Cup was postponed to June this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasurer Arun Dhumal broke the news on Twitter and wrote: "Congratulations @JayShah on taking over as President of Asian Cricket Council. I'm sure ACC will achieve greater heights under ur leadership and the cricketers of the entire Asian region will benefit. My best wishes for a successful tenure."

"I accept this honour and I thank my esteemed colleagues at the BCCI for nominating me and considering me worthy of this prestigious position. Formed with a view to organize, develop and promote the sport in the region, the ACC has steadily grown in stature. The ACC continues to foster healthy rivalry among some of the biggest cricket playing nations while it also takes the sport deeper into the smaller pockets. We must remain committed to this cause and ensure there is an all-round development in the region," Shah said in a statement released by BCCI.

"The pandemic has posed enormous challenges but history has shown that innovation often arises in periods of adversity and we must adapt and innovate to stay ahead. While I have noticed that most Boards have again started their cricketing operations with their senior team, the challenge still remains with women’s cricket and age-group cricket. The ACC has done pioneering work in both women’s cricket and age-group with the multiple tournaments it conducts across the year and we must build on this."

With BCCI president Sourav Ganguly currently in hospital after undergoing an angioplasty, Shah has filled in for the board chief and has been working overtime to ensure everything runs smoothly. 

"I congratulate Mr Jay Shah for being appointed the new ACC President. We have worked closely, and I am well aware of his plans and vision to develop the game of cricket. I have personally experienced the zeal with which he worked to bring a turnaround in Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and North-eastern states in setting up the cricketing infrastructure and setting up the ecosystem," BCCI chief Ganguly said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Shah on Friday informed the state associations that after successfully organising the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, the BCCI is now set to host the Vinoo Mankad Trophy - U19 limited-overs tournament - along with Vijay Hazare and senior women's one-dayers.

Feature image courtesy: Punit PARANJPE / AFP