BCCI’S dilly-dallying on apex court verdict has left everyone fatigued
tion game. The verdict, announced a year ago, was adverse but the BCCI converted a fight to the finish into a fight that does not seem to finish. The overriding sentiment now is of utter fatigue --- you wish this messy chapter would end for cricket to start a fresh innings.
Apart from the reform saga, three other issues need to be addressed. One problem, spreading across states, is corruption in team selection, especially at junior levels. This is already a wellorganised start-up industry, similar to the racket in school admissions and buying seats i n engineering/medical colleges. With anxious parents willing to go the extra mile, and pay the extra rupee, there is a rate card for pushing the right buttons at the right time.
The selection ‘fix’ is done by cricket coaches and cricket clubs, in collusion with corrupt lower level cricket officials. A close look at junior team selection is enough to raise suspicion. In many states, a large number of kids at the under 14-16-19 levels are selected and named standbyes, then suddenly dropped --- often without playing a game. This churn is not based on cricket merit.
Fudging age to play age-group tournaments is an age old problem. The BCCI cracked down on this by scrutinising documents and mandating medical tests to determine age. Though many offenders were caught for age fraud, some still beat the system to gain unfair advantage. But this hurts them in the long run as they get found out when competing with seniors.
The IPL’S ills are well-advertised and recently a new industry - of rogue leagues - has come up. The business model of these unsanctioned leagues is simple. A circus consisting of strange players/officials/umpires/promoters/owners arrives in a city to play an Ipl-style tournament where matches are fixed.
Alarmed by cricket’s grey market, the BCCI went into action mode. Registered players were told to stay away from unapproved matches and its Anti-corruption Unit worked with local police to arrest people in Jaipur and Kanpur. Given cricket’s commercial appeal, there is temptation to bend the rules. It is for the administrators to remain on top of their game to ensure cricket’s operating systems are not corrupted by outside viruses!