Ram Guha alleges BCCI of nepotism

Historian and a well-received cricket writer Ramachandra Guha has accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India of nepotism and dictatorial rule under Amit Shah and N Srinivasan lobby. The writer of the famous book, ‘A Corner of a Foreign Field’ believes that these two lobbies have diluted any progress made under the Lodha Committee recommended and Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.

“N Srinivasan and Amit Shah are effectively running Indian cricket today. The state associations are run by somebody's daughter, somebody's son. The Board is steeped in intrigue and nepotism and there are great delays in paying Ranji Trophy players their dues. The reforms that were hoped for have not happened,” Guha told the newspaper DNA in an interview for his new book - The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind.  

Alleging the CoA chief Vinod Rai of not hearing both parties in the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli coach- captain dispute of 2017, the former CoA member said, “All of us were kept in the dark. I think the chairman [of the CoA] Mr. Rai if it [a rift] was brewing, should have had a conversation with both of them [Kohli and Kumble in 2017],” he said.  

He further said that Mr. Rai could not use his experience in the matter, and it was really unfortunate. “After all, he is a wise and experienced administrator. He just gave in to one side without hearing the other. It was handled very badly,” Guha said.


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Guha targets BCCI Prez Ganguly, says his greed for money is shocking

Ramchandra Guha has attacked BCCI President and former India captain, Sourav Ganguly, accusing him of being greedy over petty money. Guha, launching an attack on the Kolkata born said, “Look at Ganguly today—head of the Board and representing some cricket fantasy game, this kind of greed for money among Indian cricketers is shocking.” Guha was being interviewed by Mid Day post the launch of his book - The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind. To contrast the BCCI boss’ image, the historian presented former India spinner Bishan Singh Bedi as an example. “The most telling story in my book is about Bishan Singh Bedi saying that he is happy to go to Kabul [to coach Afghan cricketers]—anywhere for cricket and not anywhere for money,” he said. “Why should Ganguly be doing all these things for a little extra money?” Gugha asked. “Ethical standards go down if the president of the Board behaves like this. What Ganguly is doing now is incorrect and no other country would allow it,” said Guha, differentiating how cricket is seen and represented in different countries. The former member of the Committee of Administrators did not hold back anything on attacking the overarching influence of the cricket board in India and how it is doing more harm than good to the game. He illustrated that through the case of commentator Sanjay Manjrekar. “Gags on commentators are bad. That Sanjay Manjrekar has to beg to be readmitted [in the commentary team] is pathetic. Why should the Board have [power over] commentary? It's absurd. It never happens anywhere in the world. Can you imagine the English Premier League doing this?” he said.

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WBBL: Sydney Sixers fined $25,000 for naming wrong player on team sheet

In a bizarre administrative error, a player not part of the primary squad of the 15 players was named in the playing XI by Women’s Big Bash League team Sydney Sixers, leading to a fine of $25,000 by Cricket Australia, the cricketing authority in the country. Sixers named fast bowler Hayley Silver-Holmes on the team sheet against Melbourne Renegades, however, Holmes, who had been injured prior to this game was not even part of the primary squad of 15. Although she had recovered from injury, her return to the squad was still pending approval from WBBL's technical committee. The fine though was reduced one, for the misjudgment was self-reported by the Sixers team. The cause was helped by the fact that Holmes did not bat in the first innings as she wasn’t required. Sixers had reported the administrative error by then and Holmes could not come out to bowl in the second. The Sixers remained one bowler short, losing the match eventually in the final over. Out of the 25k, $15,000 is suspended because of Sixers' prompt action and co-operation with the integrity and security committee. Cricket Australia's Senior Conduct Commissioner, Alan Sullivan QC said that the maximum penalty of $50,000 and/or additional sanctions were "not deemed appropriate given the nature of the breach and the fact Sixers lost the match and adversely impacted their Net Run Rate". Sean Carroll, CA's Head of Integrity and Security, said: "Cricket Australia places a significant emphasis on the integrity of all competitions, including the compliance with its player contracting rules and regulations. This breach by the Sydney Sixers, while serious in nature, had a reduced impact due to the Club's actions during last night's game. As such, we support the findings of Alan Sullivan QC, including the suspension of $15,000 of the $25,000 fine imposed."