Test threat lifted after funds freed
INDIA’S cash-rich cricket board yesterday lifted a threat to cancel the start of its Test series against England after judges eased banking restrictions which had triggered a funding crisis.
Less than 24 hours before the highprofile series was due to begin in Rajkot today, the board dropped a bombshell by telling the Supreme Court it would not be able to cover the running costs of the first match.
The Supreme Court last month ruled that the board would have to seek prior approval from a special panel investigating its governance in order to release funds to state associations which host Test matches.
In a petition filed yesterday to the court, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that “unless money is disbursed to the board, the match between India and England can’t take place”.
After considering the petition for several hours, the court set aside its previous order and gave the board immediate access to the $90,000 (5.8 million rupees) the BCCI said it needed to host the match in Rajkot.
It further allowed the board to incur expenses for hosting the remaining four Tests in the series against England but asked it to maintain accounts for scrutiny by the panel.
“We are fine with the Supreme Court order because we wanted money for organising the India-England test series and that has been allowed,” a lawyer representing the board said on the condition of anonymity.
The court had slapped the restric- tions on the BCCI’s accounts after the board, which is one of the world’s wealthiest sports bodies, failed to implement a series of reforms recommended by a panel headed by a former top judge, Rajendra Mal Lodha.
The BCCI had earlier complained that the funding freeze was hampering organisation for a series last month against New Zealand, but the three Tests went ahead as scheduled in the end.
The BCCI has insisted it is not “running away” from implementing the reforms after scandals including accusations of corruption and matchfixing that tarnished the reputation of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Cricket’s massive popularity in India has helped the BCCI become by far the wealthiest of all of cricket’s national boards, netting massive money from sponsorship and TV deals.
The BCCI has put the value of the IPL brand at $4.5 billion and its current sponsorship deal for the tournament with the mobile phone company Vivo is worth $60 million.
Its last television rights deal with the Star network was worth a reported $750 million.
But despite its rude financial health, the board has regularly found itself embroiled in scandal in recent years, ultimately leading to the formation of the Lodha committee.
A corruption and match-fixing scandal in the sixth edition of the IPL in 2013 brought about the downfall of the board’s president Narayanaswami Srinivasan after his son-in-law was accused of betting on matches.
Two of the eight franchises in the IPL were suspended as a result of the scandal, including the Chennai Super Kings which was owned by Srinivasan’s India Cements company.
Cook plays down speculation
Meanwhile, Alastair Cook tried to dampen speculation yesterday about his future as England’s Test skipper after admitting that he could quit following the current tour of India.
In a press conference on the eve of the first Test, Cook was questioned about his comments in this month’s Cricketer magazine in which he said he did not know much longer he would carry on at the helm.
The left-handed opener, who is set to break Michael Atherton’s record of 54 Tests as England captain in the first Test in Rajkot, confirmed the substance of the interview but said it had been blown out of proportion.
“When someone asks ‘For how long you see yourself as the captain’ . . . I said I don’t know – it could be two months which could be the end of this series or it could be six months or the next one or two years,” he said.
“This is the kind of answer I gave and obviously headlines have been made.
“I gave an honest answer to an interview question [and] as always it can get blown out a little bit. My situation hasn’t changed.”