Deplorable attitude

What is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) up to? An answer to this query will bring reactions that range from the bizarre, quixotic to outright condemnations. One fails to understand why the officials running the Board are taking deplorable steps every other day.

The decision to defy the Supreme Court order is poised to head for a showdown. There is no logic in the decision to adopt a confrontationist attitude given the apex court’s ruling that the recommendations made by the three-member Lodha panel had to be followed in letter and spirit.

That the Board officials give a damn is bound to cause dismay among the players and administrators who are genuinely keen on ridding the gentleman’s game of the dubious distinctions it has achieved in India. It is sad and perplexing that people, who are holding the careers of every cricketer to ransom, seem unrepentant, which is a bigger worry than their banner of revolt.

Of course, all of Lodha recommendations may not sound justified, at least on the face of it, but then the committee has gone into the allegations of rampant corruption that has seeped in and destroyed the image of the nation. Let there be no doubt that the recommendations take shape from the panel’s findings and well-researched homework.

BCCI President Anurag Thakur has argued against one-State one-vote, age-limit of 70 years and cooling-off period of three years. It is rather ridiculous that the Board’s Special General Body lasted a marathon six hours when the fact of the matter is that the decision was firmed up much before. That they are street-smart is evidenced by the fact that even in this hour of ‘crisis; the Board had enough time to woo the cricketing fraternity with bounties.

For instance, raising the salary of Test players who figure in the playing XI to more than double from Rs seven lakh to Rs 15 lakh is jackpot of sorts for the players. Irrespective of how one reads it, this is perhaps aimed at enlisting the support of the current crop of players into their scheme of things. As things stand, former players swear by the ‘silence is golden’ dictum because they reap handsome salaries and materialistic rewards for being the yes-men.

The repeated claims that IPL 2016 was a non-controversial tournament cannot remove the scars of earlier editions that were mired in match and spot fixing scandals involving players and co-owners. It is time the Board sheds the ‘Big Brother’ tag, particularly because the ICC boss Shashank Manohar has ceased to be its friend. To him, Team India will be similar to a Bangladesh or Zimbabwe.

As an entity that does not get any support from the government, as the BCCI members tell the world, it is enjoying an envious immunity. Why should it not be taken over by the government, a suggestion that the Supreme Court has favoured for quite some time. Why should the BCCI not be nationalised is the million dollar question. If cricket is paramount, then the time to bell the cat is here and now.