In the wake of Sahara Pariwar’s withdrawal from the sponsorship of the Indian team, a vital question needs to be answered: Who is accountable for the phenomenal loss of Rs.100 crore the Indian board and players suffered? According to ICC chief Malcom Speed, it is clear that the primary negotiations for the exclusive sponsorship between the international cricket body and the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC) took place in 2000 when Jagmohan Dalmiya was president of the ICC. However, the final agreement which was fine-tuned and ran into 120 pages was signed by his successor, Malcom Gray. Thus from this master agreement a new document came out, wherein it was made clear to the member boards that each one of them commits to play in the ICC events and also recognises the exclusive sponsorship and broadcasting rights sold to GCC.Mind you, all this happened when Dalmiya was neither the president of the ICC nor the BCCI. That means the then president and the secretary of BCCI were solely responsible for such a tremendous mess!This not only deprived the players of a sizable sponsorship amount but also jeopardised the relation between star players and their respective sponsors. It is really sad that nobody seems to be worried about taking any action against such negligence.What is also intriguing is the fact that the ICC kept on refusing the various options given by Sahara for the logo to be displayed on Indian players’ clothing for ridiculous reasons and this proved to be the last straw on Sahara’s back. I have my doubts whether the BCCI will be able to replace Sahara with another sponsor, who is willing to pump in so much money. Is the Board going to compensate the players from its own coffers?THE latest of ICC’s fad is the introduction of advanced technology. The most fascinating aspect of this game is the uncertainties associated with it. This new experimental law for lbw decisions to be referred to the third umpire is really absurd. How would the camera understand the uneven bounce in the wicket, the exact angle of the swing or the spin or the wear and tear of the wicket? This has meant that the umpires are there to just judge no balls and wides and, of course, count the balls correctly to declare an over. Maybe, these functions too will be taken care of by technology in the future. Another news from the ICC was the introduction of dope test for the World Cup. Are they cricketers or race horses? No doubt, such policy is necessary for sports where the brute physical aspect can sway a contest. Cricket is a game where the prime asset is the grey area between the ears. It is for these reasons I have never come across any player indulging in durgs in my long career. So why this unecessary addition now?THE present Indian team promises to make it a memorable World Cup for us in South Africa. Mohammad Kaif’s match-winning and matured knock of 111 against Zimbabwe in the opening game of the Champions Trophy paved the way for India’s victory. Kaif’s knock was more creditable as he stepped in when India were down five wickets for 84 with all the seniors except Dravid were in the pavilion. Yes, India don’t have to worry about the batting. The bowling department needs lot of improvement if India are to win the Championship Trophy.
