Challenge before Manohar

It is right to wonder how even a well-intentioned man like Shashank Manohar can defy the very vested interests in the Board of Control for Cricket in India to whom he owes his appointment as its head. But still, Manohar can achieve a lot in reforming the world’s richest cricket body. Some things are rather easy. For instance, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest he must enforce in letter and spirit the findings of the Supreme Court-appointed inquiry committee into the IPL scam. With former BCCI boss, N. Srinivasan, refusing to voluntarily step aside, it is for Manohar to ensure that he is kept out of the decisionmaking process in all things relating to the organisation of cricket in the country. Why Srinivasan fails to take the hint despite adverse findings by court-appointed inquiries is rather puzzling. Whatever the latest legal façade about the Chennai Super Kings, there is no way it can be separated in real life from Srinivasan. Manohar will also have to put in place fail-safe mechanisms against match-rigging, betting, favour it is min playerselections, theft of funds, cartels in venue and tournament sponsorships, provision of television rights for matches, etc. The task requires Manohar to wield a big broom against vested interests at various levels of the BCCI. It is hoped that Manohar will have the courage and fortitude to restore the faith of millions of fee-paying fans in the sanctity of the mass sport. Immediately, he needs to send out a stern message to the rowdy fans who disrupted the T-20 tie against South Africa in Cuttack on Monday. Cuttack should be denied another international match for a couple of years so that fans everywhere get the message.