Dalmiya guards his wicket

The Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya at last broke his silence over the resignation of Ground and Wic...

The Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya at last broke his silence over the resignation of Ground and Wickets Committee chairman G Kasturirangan. Addressing the media at the end of the BCCI8217;s marketing committee meeting here, Dalmiya insisted that Kasturi had resigned on health grounds.

But the board, which has come in for criticism over the sub-standard wickets across the country, seems to have decided to pass the buck. When quizzed further, a visibly upset Dalmiya changed his tone and said: 8216;8216;If the state of some of the pitches in the country is bad, then Kasturirangan will have to be accountable for it.8217;8217;

In effect, the BCCI was trying to wash its hand off the project. It was evident from various accounts that BCCI8217;s ambitious project came a cropper because of its lackadaisical approach but by blaming Kasturi for the poor state of pitches, it seems the BCCI was only looking for an escape route.

On adhering to the reports from the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute, Dalmiya said that not all associations in India have received the them. 8216;8216;Kolkata has but others have not. We will study the reports and we are also getting feedback from all associations and captains.8217;8217;

Meanwhile, the marketing committee8217;s four-hour delibration failed to reach any worthwhile conclusion. Providing details, Dalmiya said the meeting was to discuss more administrative matters and that no concrete decisions were reached at. 8216;8216;Our aim has been to reduce the disparity between international and domestic players. We have some sponsors coming forward but we cannot decide till our dispute with the International Cricket Council ICC over the World Cup players8217; contracts issue involving Global Cricket Corporation GCC is settled.8217;8217;

KANPUR ISSUE: 8216;8216;The Board is trying to ascertain reasons as to why the Test match cannot be held in Kanpur as planned. We are figuring out whether the problem for the UPCA is to get the ground readied or get it from the government as it doesn8217;t belong to them. Mr Jyoti Bajpai is not here today but we will take a decision soon.8217;8217;

NEW SUB-COMMITTEE: The Mumbai Cricket Association MCA received a shot in the arm with the BCCI headquarters committee deciding that it would be housed within a state association premises and not elsewhere.