‘No team is bigger than the organisation’ – Jay Shah sends strong message after T20 World Cup 2026

Jay Shah, current chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), delivered a firm message while reflecting on the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, stating that no individual team holds greater importance than the governing body itself.  

The global tournament faced considerable uncertainty ahead of its start, with discussions around participation from certain teams dominating headlines in the build-up. Despite the initial concerns, the competition was eventually conducted successfully and drew significant global attention.

Jay Shah highlighted the challenges the tournament encountered before getting underway and stressed that the ICC’s strength lies in the collective participation of all its member nations.

“This ICC World Cup was very important because there was a lot of chatter before the start of the tournament about whether certain teams would participate and how the World Cup would go ahead,” Shah was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

The ICC chief also reiterated that no single team can define or control the organisation, emphasising that international cricket thrives through the contribution of all teams.

“As ICC chairman, I can say that no team is bigger than the organisation and no single team makes an organisation. An organisation is a combination of all teams,” he added.

Shah’s comments come in the wake of the controversies surrounding the tournament’s lead-up, which sparked debates about participation and scheduling. Bangladesh team had withdrawn from the competition citing security concerns, whereas Pakistan, too, had warned about boycotting their highly anticipated contest against India.

The former Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) praised the current Indian team coach Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav for their T20 World Cup triumph.

“I have a message for Surya and Gautam Bhai – slipping from the top to the bottom takes only months, while climbing from the bottom to the top takes years. Keep working hard and keep winning awards,” he concluded.