Hosts KSCA to boycott award ceremony

Host association Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) have decided to boycott the annual awards of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the MAK Pataudi lecture which will also be delivered on March 8 in Bengaluru.

The decision to boycott the function was taken after the Committee of Administrators (COA) decided to invite only eligible officials of the state units as per the Supreme Court orders.

In a letter addressed to BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri, KSCA president Sanjay Desai and secretary R Sudhakar Rao said it would be a ‘humiliation’ if they accepted the invitation.

“Though courtesy demands and it is customary to thank you for the subject invitation, it is unfortunate that we do not intend to even acknowledge invite.

It may seem very rude and un-diplomatic, however, looking at the last paragraph of your invitation, ‘kindly note that the Committee of Administrators is constrained to convey that only those office-bearers who are qualified as per the Supreme Court’s orders are expected to ing you from certain acts, we would like to also ascertain that we are also constrained not to acknowledge, thank or even remotely think of attending this function,” the letter stated.

“We are very clear in our minds that it would be a humiliation of the very cricketing fraternity if we accept this invitation tions. We call upon yourselves to please inform the COA that the KSCA will not accept such a humiliation and as a mark of protest, will boycott the said function though cricket and cricketers are dear to our heart,” the letter stated.

“The fact that the Committee of Administrators who have bla overreaching the directions of the Supreme Court do not understand the very meaning of an annual awards function pertaining to cricket and an invitation to the same,” the letter added.

Rao said the COA has ‘shabbily’ treated administrators and cricketers “who have contributed their time and energy and also have sacrificed immensely for the development of game over decades.”

“Under these circumstances, if in the wisdom of the Committee of Administrators, they feel that people who have contributed over decades are not worthy of attending a cricketing award function, then it demonstrates the prejudice they are carrying in this matter about various people,” Rao said in the letter.

Rao also took an opportunity to take a dig at the COA for nominating N Ram, eminent editor, in the committee which selected the award winners despite being

SMITH AT HIS PEAK

Australian media reported how Smith, 27, felt he was ‘in the zone’ during his knock of 109, becoming only the third Australia batsman to score a second innings century in India.

Only then skipper Mark Taylor on the 1998 tour and Damien Martyn in the 2004 series, when Australia ended a 35-year wait to win a Test series in India, had managed that. Five of his 18 centuries have come against India, from just seven Tests.

The pitch is expected to be drastically different from the

BATTING TIME

“Things can happen pretty quicky here in India at