Imran Khwaja (R) has been re-elected to the ICC board (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)Getty Images

With India boss Jay Shah expected to take the reins of world cricket, the all-powerful International Cricket Council board has had a shake up after the Associate Member Directors election on Friday.

Mubashshir Usmani, who sits on the influential Chief Executives' Committee and is at the helm of the Emirates Cricket Board, was elected after topping the field of 11 with 23 votes, several of those in attendance at the AGM in Colombo told me.

He will become the new Associate chair after edging ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja, who received 20 votes. Board veteran Khwaja had been Associate chair for a long time, but did enough to safely keep his spot on the 17-person board.

Mahinda Vallipuram will return to the board after finishing with 13 votes. The former Malaysia chief lost his spot on the board in 2022, but has kept busy in a prominent position on the Asian Cricket Council alongside Shah.

Mahinda Vallipuram (R) has been elected to the board (Photo by Francois Nel-IDI/IDI via Getty ... [+] Images)2018 IDI

Incumbents Neil Speight (Bermuda) and Pankaj Khimji (Oman) lost their positions.

The other candidates were long-time Singapore chief Mahmood Gaznavi, former USA cricket governing body administrator Sankar Renganathan, Rudie van Vuuren (Namibia), Gurumurthy Palani (France), Stephen Musaele (Rwanda) and Sam Arthur (Costa Rica).

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Some candidates privately expressed that Shah's shadow had been present during this Associate election campaign. They believe he has been active behind the scenes, seemingly wanting his preferred candidates on a board that he might soon be running.

It is unclear who his favored candidates were.

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Some influential cricket administrators are seemingly bracing for Shah to throw his hat in the ring, where it would almost certainly be a losing battle for challengers.

It is learned that Khwaja, who ran against Barclay in a divisive chair election in 2020, and board director Tavengwa Mukuhlani - who pulled out of contesting the 2022 contest - are unlikely to run.