Indian Premier League (IPL), forcing the resignation of renowned umpire Darrel Harper and its spat with the International Cricket conference (ICC) on the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS).
The big fat bully with its enormous money power has been hiring former cricketers to improve its image.This is precisely what the magazine has exposed. On their pay-roll is former captains and interntionally known commentators-Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.
In effect, they have become mercenaries in the services of the BCCI. According to the magazine, they are Rs 3.6 crores each annually for carrying out duties as Television Commentators. Shastri, for instance, is also on several committees of the Board and the International Cricket Conference. Here the conflict of interest comes into play. Bishen Singh Bedi who is brutally frank in his views has this to say “There are two opinions about their clash of interest. They are employees of the BCCI. You cant run with hares and hunt with the hounds”.
In an interview to “Mail Today”, “why was not in public domain all years-the time for which they have been with the BCCI? he asked. The Media should be able to help. You need to kick the Board in the bottom. Chetan Chauhan, another former cricketer says “the clash of interest is clearly there. If Gavaskar does not agree with the BCCI, he airs it in his column but Shastri doesn’t criticise the Board at all.
Lets take a fresh look at Ian Bell episode. The noted Sports writer who is known for his objectivity in his columns, Pradeep Magazine writes about Sourav Ganguly. “To the utter surprise of everyone, Ganguly in the tea-break differed completely with his two better known commentators- Shastri and Gavaskar and said that India have done with wrong thing and ” this is not the way you play cricket”.
“He was calm, not raising his voice, yet made it clear that had he been the captain, he would have withdrawn the appeal” Pradeep Magazine was all praise for the former captain from West Bengal. He is not there to mouth cliché, nor to exploit hyper nationalism and Ganguly says, “I am here to give an honest opinion, to communicate to my viewers the game exactly as i have seen it without taking des”. In his defence, Gavaskar says “People should read my opinions on columns and decide for themselves whether I am biased. This is completely uncalled for. Nobody can tell me what to speak, or tow a particular line, when I am doing cricket commentary.
If I don’t like something. I speak out. I think I have earned that right. Dont go by somebody elses intimidation.” The BCCI has come under attack from some veterans in the game for imposing its financial might in the ICC. The Cricket greats- Englands Geoff Boycott and west Indies pacer Micheal Holding. However, ICC Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat has this to say “That the Executive is the forum for members to voice their opinions on how the game should be run and collectively we arrive at decisions”.