India’s CT boycott threat likely to fizzle out
The Indian cricket board is likely to announce the team for the ICC Champions Trophy soon as its threat to pull out of the premier event starting in England on June 1 has petered out.
Many Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members have expressed unhappiness over the confrontational approach of the senior cricket officials who had attended the ICC meetings in Dubai and suffered a loss of face.
Support to CT pullout unlikely Top BCCI officials had claimed on Wednesday that they will invoke the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) and pull out of the Champions Trophy. They had even threatened to take legal action after the ICC passed revised revenue and administrative proposals, leaving BCCI isolated in its opposition.
“We will hold the SGM (Special General Meeting) but the view of the members is that we should announce the team first. Anyway, there is bound to be opposition to the move to pull out of the Champions Trophy. It will be a divided house,” a senior BCCI official told HT.
“In fact, most want to avoid confrontation and go to the Champions Trophy. We can’t afford to pull out of Champions Trophy for the simple reason we will be penalised. The penalty for pulling out will be to the tune of R2,000 crore.
“Apart from that, what if the board is suspended for such an act? Besides, foreign boards can also threaten to pull players out of the IPL. What if they don’t keep a window for the IPL? It will totally be BCCI’s loss. This aggressive approach is leading us nowhere,” the BCCI functionary said.
The Committee of Administrators is not happy with the way the case was handled. The Supreme Court had authorised acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary to attend the ICC meeting and asked Board CEO, Rahul Johri, to accompany him. However, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry also went to Dubai after the Board’s SGM held in New Delhi authorised him to assist Johri and Chaudhary there.
He was there to help safeguard India’s interests as BCCI had been honouring taxing bilateral commitments only because of the 2014 Big Three model.
“The CoA, and even board members, aren’t happy with the outcome. They will step in,” said another Board official. “The CoA felt a middle path should be taken, but the officials didn’t agree. We have been humiliated and the CoA isn’t happy with it.”
Not providing info
A source told HT the Board members are irked with the lack of transparency in the BCCI approach. “Members were getting news only through the media where it was being portrayed that BCCI had rejected an additional $100 million (which would have taken their share to $390 million) offer by (ICC chairman) Shashank Manohar. But yesterday we got to know that
Manohar told BCCI clearly that they should take the $290 million or leave it.
“So, did Manohar actually offer BCCI $100 million extra? Even if
he did, why didn’t they take it? We just don’t know as we weren’t kept in the loop.”