Anxiety rules as BCCI waits for names of administrators

The Board officials are understandably worried at the quality of administrators who would come into the fray now. There is concern at the lack of experience that is likely to impact the affiliated units of the Board.

The reforms drawn by the Lodha Committee have shown the cricket administration in poor light.

The old guard of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awaits with trepidation the fallout of the sweeping cricket reforms.

There is anxiety, uncertainty, and as a veteran official confessed, the possibility of the Board losing some efficient workers.

>Read: BCCI administrators to be named on January 20

“Three years is a long time to expect a comeback in the Board. It is different from the cricket team where there are no restrictions on tenure. If you are good, you can play as long as you deliver,” bemoaned the official who has seen some bright and dark days in Indian cricket.

The match-fixing scandal in 2000 was considered the heaviest blow to the image of the game. The reforms drawn by the Lodha Committee have shown the cricket administration in poor light.

The Board officials are understandably worried at the quality of administrators who would come into the fray now. “But who is responsible for this mess?” asked a senior office-bearer.

There is concern at the lack of experience that is likely to impact the affiliated units of the Board. “The problem lies in identifying candidates with integrity and vision at the State associations to carry forward the good work done over the last decade or so,” remarked another official.

Pertinent example

He pointed out Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) as a pertinent example to drive home his point. “The DDCA functioned excellently under the guidance of High Court-appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal. The worry now is to maintain the standard of administration that he set,” the official observed.

Former Test opener Chetan Chauhan, who was involved in cricket administration at the DDCA for close to 16 years, prayed for the game’s future.

“I think it would be good if the Lodha Committee and the existing eligible officials of the BCCI picked three dedicated workers in each affiliated unit to conduct the game at least till the end of this season. It is important. They can pick officials with a good track record and those who have no charges of misappropriation of funds and misuse of power.

“There are people who have worked hard with nothing but the interest of the game uppermost in their mind. Let such workers be the guiding force till the end of this season,” Chauhan suggested.