Why BCCI shut the door on Oz coach

Obviously, some of them are still a bit bewildered by the last-minute candidature of the former England off-spinner who has not made much of a mark as coach in the county circuit — he was removed by Northamptonshire, and then Middlesex. And not surprisingly, the general feeling is that Emburey got the call simply to project a semblance of competition for the slot.

But what has really been the theme of this latest bout of coach-hunting, especially after the players pushed for a foreigner, is the absence of a single Australian in the final stretch.

Apparently, it is a undercurrent of resentment against the Australian way within the establishment that led to the Board not really pushing for Tom Moody, shutting the door on Dav Whatmore, and ignoring names like Tim Coyle and Trevor Bayliss (now being wooed by Sri Lanka).

But why? You can blame it on the stormy tenure of Greg Chappell. And, a strong feeling within the Board and its panel against “Aussie behaviour”.

One of the coach panel’s leading lights, Sunil Gavaskar, has already expressed his reservations against the Aussie behaviour on and off the field, with his comments on the late David Hookes stirring up a storm Down Under. Some members of the Board have also not forgotten the way the Australian team pushed BCCI chief Sharad Pawar off the stage at the presentation ceremony following the Champions Trophy.

The result: Ford, backed by the players, and Emburey, an off-spinner who even at his best was nowhere among the top bowlers in the world. The choice is clear, but we will know only on June 9.