The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) and office bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India met in New Delhi to decide on matters related to former cricketers Mohammad Azharuddin and Sreesanth—both individually charged previously for match fixing allegations.
The former Indian skipper, who was exonerated by the Hyderabad High Court, had demanded his dues and one time benefit from the board on the basis of the judgement. The BCCI had not challenged the HC order. While his request has been in principle approved, the committee as well as BCCI decided to allow the general body of the board to take a call on it as a matter of board procedure and technicality.
However, in the case of Kerala pacer Sreesanth, it was decided to await the advice of BCCI legal team which will decide whether to challenge of the Kerala HC order in the Supreme Court.
Addressing the media after a day-long meeting , CoA member Diana Edulji, when asked whether the demand to hike match fees of domestic players had been met with, said, “Not yet. The treasurer will sit and work out a figure and give it to us...We are meeting again in Mumbai on August 23.”
On the issue of cricket being made part of Olympic games, the matter has been referred to the general body of the BCCI. This needs to be decided at the earliest and decision conveyed to ICC which has to then make a presentation in September to the International Olympic Committee. The BCCI has stridently opposed the idea of making cricket an Olympic sport in the past as it has domestic ramifications for it. It does not want to lose its powerful identity by coming under the umbrella of the Indian Olympic Association.
Meanwhile, the names of four Television commentators on panel of BCCI were shortlisted. Harsha Bhogle, who was ousted from the panel ostensibly on complaint of India skipper Virat Kohli for criticising the team on air, found his way back in to the list of empanelled commentators. Others include former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar and former cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Murali Karthik. These names were reportedly recommended to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri by the head of TV production in BCCI production team for the panel of commentators. CoA flagged this on issue of conflict of interest. “Commentators' list is not finalised. we are working on it. Conflict of interest have to be seen properly and discussed, we don't even know who has got what.”
Two other names were put on standby list—L Sivaramakrishnan and Zaheer Khan.
It is in cases of Gavaskar, Sivaramakrishnan and Khan that they need to see whether their other cricket related commitments or contracts clash with their commentators' roles, it is reliably learnt.
On the issue of state associations furnishing their full members list to CoA, Edulji said, “10 of them have sent this list. those who don't will figure in status report.”
Meanwhile, it was also decided to award the senior men and women's national selectors with Rs15 lakhs each.
The CoA has been trying to ensure a gap of 15 days between series and IPL as recommended by the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee. On this, Edulji indicated hat the going was not all that good. “Not that we are violating it (the recommendation), but the FTP was decide way back. We are working on it.”
