Chennai: N. Srinivasan should feel vindicated now. As the first chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Srinivasan had mooted a proposal that demanded 80 per cent of the revenue to the ‘Big Three’ — India, Australia and England, but it was dismissed by his successor Shashank Manohar with the support of the BCCI. But now, Indian Board, considered the most influential body in world cricket, finds itself in a tight corner after being “sidelined” from the ICC’s financial and executive committees.
Board president Anurag Thakur didn’t mince words when he recently spoke about how Manohar has been working against the BCCI even though the Nagpur lawyer used his home board to become ICC’s first independent chairman.
Srinivasan wasn’t ready to dwell much on the raging debate, but revealed that he had recently met Thakur in Chennai. “I also met secretary Ajay Shirke. We all know each other for a very long time. There was some discussion and it was more private,” said Srinivasan.
Does the ongoing war between BCCI and ICC over financial and decision making process surprise Srinivasan? “This is an issue the current management of the BCCI should address. From what I gather through media reports, the BCCI officials are sorting it out. I don’t want to confuse people by giving my views. And I shouldn’t. There is a leadership at the BCCI and we support them (the leader as well as the decision). We will always be supportive,” he added.
Ever since the IPL betting and fixing scam broke out in 2013, Thakur has been seen as one of the staunch critics of Srinivasan who had to vacate his BCCI president post following a Supreme Court directive. The BJP MP even contested against Srinivasan’s camp in the 2015 AGM and got elected as secretary before becoming the president earlier this year. During the World T20, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association was left fuming when the BCCI didn’t assign any men’s matches to M.A. Chidambaram Stadium and it’s attitude was considered “step motherly”.
But Srinivasan said the relationship “has been good.” “We never fought. TNCA is part of the BCCI. Management changes and people come and go, but we always followed the BCCI direction. We may have put out our point of view in private, but we are part of it. TNCA is one of the oldest Test centres, we have to show the way,” he added.
