England arrive but host BCCI on tenterhooks
MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is perhaps in its biggest fix.
The Supreme Court’s interim order restricting the Indian cricket board from disbursing any funds to the state units and engaging in any contractual obligations till they don’t accept the Lodha Committee’s recommendations in toto.
As a result the BCCI has not been able to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the English and Wales Cricket Board even as the England team touched down in the city on Wednesday for the five-Test series, three ODIs and T20Is.
The MoU is BCCI’s guarantee to bear all expenses of the England team in India.
“There is no direction from the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee on whether the BCCI can sign the MoU. As per the interim order, we cannot sign any contracts,” said a senior BCCI official.
With the Supreme Court hurting BCCI’s pockets if they don’t fall in line, it has affected the Indian cricket board’s functioning.
“Earlier, the BCCI would work
There is no direction from the Supreme Court-appointed
Lodha Committee on whether the Indian cricket board can sign the Memorandum of Understanding (with its English counterparts). As per the interim order, we cannot sign any contracts
on a threshold of three months, four months and so on. Now, we are running on a day-to-day basis,” said an official.
To prevent any last-minute fiasco, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke has written to the state units holding the England Test series if they will be able to host the matches under the prevailing conditions. “It is just to check if the state association is in a position to hold matches without any financial assistance from the BCCI. We are confident that all the state units will give a positive feedback,” said an official. A SENIOR BCCI OFFICIAL