ACU officials keep close watch, groundsmen stay tight-lipped
Pandurang Salgaonkar, a former Maharashtra first-class player, suddenly came under the spotlight during the India-New Zealand ODI series in October for the wrong reasons.
A TV sting showed Salgaonkar, chief curator of Pune’s MCA Stadium, allegedly revealing information about the ground ahead of the ODI on October 25. A suspension followed and he came under ICC’s AntiCorruption Unit (ACU) investigation.
Steve Richardson and Bir Singh, two ICC ACU officials, investigated the incident and will be submitting a report. The latter is currently in Dharamsala where India will be playing Sri Lanka in the first of a threeODI series on Sunday.
While it is not uncommon for ICC ACU officials to be present during international matches, Singh’s involvement in the Pune pitch curator’s probe has added relevance to his presence in Dharamsala. And the groundsmen are feeling the heat.
“We always had instructions to not say anything about the pitch ahead of a match. But after the Pune incident things have got tighter. The groundsmen have submitted their mobile phones too,” a HPCA official told Hindustan Times.
“He (Bir Singh) is the same guy who was in Pune. The groundsmen shall not say anything on the pitch ahead of the match. The instructions are clear.”
The ICC has Anti-Corruption Managers (ACMs), like Singh, present in international matches.
“These experienced law enforcement professionals are present at international matches to collect information/intelligence and to ensure that the Minimum Standards are enforced at all venues,” according to the ICC website.
ICC has seven ACMs, three of them from India. Apart from Singh, Dharamveer Singh Yadav and Niranjan Singh Virk are the other two ICC ACMs from India.
BCCI also has an ACU. Recently, Justice Mukul Mudgal, whose investigated the 2013 IPL fixing and betting scandal, said in an interview to HT that BCCI ACU’s powers are limited.
After Pune, things got tighter. Groundsmen have submitted their mobile phones too. HPCA OFFICIAL