Commercial interests may hinder India’s participation

Even as the BCCI president, Raj Singh Dungarpur, said they were awaiting the report on pitches in Kuala Lumpur, a letter from Jaywant Lele,secretary of the Board, wanted clarifications on logos, dope testing and whether or not the matches were “official”.

In his letter to the IOA, Lele has written, “The cricketers are professionals and they get paid for playing the matches. Our Board is bound by a contract with ITC Limited for team sponsorship and, as a result, it is imperative for our cricketers to wear Wills logos on their shirts during the matches in the Games and will not sport Reebok or any other logo.”

Since all multi-discipline Games also have dope testing, the BCCI wants clarifications because Indian cricketers have never undergone such tests. He said the BCCI and the Indian cricketers were in the dark about the substances which are prohibited in the Games. At the same time, he added, the BCCI did not support drug abuse in sports in any way.

Dungarpur said in Mumbai that ICC observer Ranjan Madugalle’s report on the condition of the pitches in the Malaysian capital would decide the composition of the Indian team for the Games.If the report is “negative”, the BCCI may even field a second, third or even a fourth string team, said Dungarpur.

The BCCI is hoping to receive the report before its working committee meeting in Delhi on August 18 and 19 where a final decision on the composition of the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games will be taken.

Lele has written, “It was our understanding that cricket was being introduced for the first time in the Commonwealth Games 1998 and that, on the request of its Organising Committee (Sukom) to the ICC, the cricket-playing nations agreed to send their teams for participation in these games.”

He also added, “It, however, appears that the Indian cricket team is being called upon to participate in the Games under the IOA banner. You would kindly appreciate that under no circumstances would our Board want to participate in the Games under any banner other than its own or that of the International Cricket Council (ICC).”

“You would also appreciate that cricket is not an Olympicevent and any step that affects the autonomy of our Board would have serious repercussions.”

He went on to say, “It may be unjust and unfair on our part to subject our cricketers to dope tests, especially because they are totally unaware of such practice and also of the drugs that are prohibited in the Games.”

The BCCI has also sought clarification on certain points “so that there is no confusion or embarrassment to anyone.” The obvious inference here is to dope-testing.

ACB chief Speed raises the issue with ICC agencies

MELBOURNE: The Australian Cricket Board said today it will urge the game’s governing body to ensure that India sends a competitive team to next month’s Commonwealth Games.

Australia is in the same group as India, Antigua and Canada for the limited-overs tournament in Kuala Lumpur.

With only the top team from the group advancing to the semifinals, India was expected to be Australia’s toughest opponent.

But the Australian Cricket Board said India failed to name itsteam by yesterday the deadline, saying the team was committed to a one-day series against Pakistan in Toronto.

However the Indian Olympic Association has demanded that the Board of Cricket Control in India send its full-strength team to Malaysia. ACB chief executive Mal Speed was sympathetic to the Indian position yesterday but said it should ensure the team it eventually sent to the Games was a strong one.

"We’re seeking an update on this from the Indians and we have raised the issue with the ICC (International Cricket Council),” Speed said. “We would certainly like them to be there.”

The Commonwealth Games tournament has already been weakened by the failure of England to send a team while Pakistan and South Africa are also likely to be represented by under-strength sides.

In addition, the West Indies side will be broken up with Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua sending separate sides.

STATUS OF THE ONE-DAY MATCHES AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES:
A medal may be a matter of glory, but for theBCCI it would be meaningful only if the matches were declared official by the ICC. The BCCI has sought clarification on the status of the matches from clarification from chief executive of the ICC, David Richards.