New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India will have to keep everything on hold till January 3 — the day the Supreme Court delivers its verdict over implementation of the Justice Lodha Committee suggested reforms — conceded board president Anurag Thakur maintaining that the ongoing tussle was not in the “best interest of the players”.
“We know the current situation is not in the best interest of cricketers but the matter is sub-judice. We are in problem and we need to wait till January 3,” Thakur said here on the sidelines of a promotional event on Friday.
The BCCI president said they have mentioned in the court a few recommendations by the Justice Lodha Committee, which the board members feel, are not practical to implement.
Thakur also maintained his stand on the perjury charges, saying there was “no truth in them”. International Cricket Council’s chief executive officer Dave Richardson had in September alleged that Thakur had “verbally requested” Shashank Manohar, the cricket’s world governing body chief, to write a letter to him stating that any meddling in the affairs of the Indian cricket board — including dictating terms on age, tenure and conflict of interest — would be a breach of the BCCI’s autonomy and would amount to government interference.
This would immediately invite the expulsion of the Indian board from the council.
Referring to the Lodha committee’s recommendations on administrative reforms in the Indian board, the BJP MP took a dig at former cricketers about being critical of the administration.
“The BCCI has created its own infrastructure without taking a single penny from the government. Yet some former cricketers, not all, speak against us,” said Thakur. He also took a dig at the International Cricket Council for not including India in the working group.
“I was there at the meeting and every member felt that for a stronger cricket world, one needs the BCCI. If anyone thinks that they can work without us, they should know global cricket needs the BCCI,” he said.
He also raised questions on India skipper Virat Kohli being ignored in the ICC’s Test team of the Year. “I think the ICC should look into the matter. They can try and consider the period of January to December per year for such feats so that a player in good form is not missed out, as India are the no. 1 Test team. But I am happy that Ashwin has been adjudged the Test Cricketer of the Year.”
