The former president of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Jaya Kumar Nath Shah passed away on Wednesday.

One of the longest serving sports officials of the country, Shah was at the helm of CAN from 1964 to 2006 and leaves behind a legacy that helped Nepal earn global recognition in the cricketing world. The 90-year old Shah passed away at the Norvic Hospital at 10:30PM due to brain haemorrhage. He was admitted to the hospital a week ago after collapsing at his home.

Shah is credited for promoting Nepal in the International Cricket Council ranks, helping secure the country an Affiliate membership in 1986 and a decade later an Associate membership. He was also given the honorary membership of England’s Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)—the oldest cricket club that governs the rules of the game—in 2008.

Shah began the first professional set up in domestic cricket which he introduced through Jay Trophy One -Day National cricket tournament in 1980 which began as a zonal event that helped establish a base for cricket tournaments in multiple age groups.

Jay Trophy was later transformed into a district competition. However, after the National Sports Council—country’s governing body of sports—said any national-level tournament could only be played under the name of national luminaries, his named had to be omitted. From 2001, the tournament began to be played only as the One-Day National cricket tournament.

Shah’s biggest accolade came in 2003 when he was honoured with the ICC Development Programme Awards. Shah was the first person to receive that award to people from the Associated and Affiliate member countries who are actively involved improving structures within the member federations including at high performance, fundraising, governance, administration and promotion areas.

Binay Raj Pandey, who later went on to succeed him in 2006, said Shah should be lauded for his dedication for the sport. “He was a great lover of cricket and a person who was highly dedicated to cricket. The position Nepal currently holds at the global arena is because of his leadership and team work,” said Pandey who was general secretary under Shah for 37 years.

Shah was last seen at a public forum was during the Special General Meeting of the Cricket Association of Nepal last month. Since the CAN is currently under the suspension from the ICC, Shah had urged everyone to come to an agreement and work in the betterment of the game. His final rites will be performed at Pashupati Aryaghat on Thursday.