Delhi: Cricket South Africa had created the current impasse with the BCCI by going against protocol in announcing on its own the schedule for India’s tour of that country, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel has said. The BCCI is “waiting”, Patel said, without specifying what it was waiting for.
The schedule had been announced by CSA in early July, prompting a swift and sharp response by the BCCI that led to relations between the two in a state of limbo.
A CSA spoksesman said they were not responding to Patel’s comments.
“Things are going [on] since long. Certain things have to be put in right perspective. Let me inform you that BCCI in normal circumstances would have done anything [for the tour to proceed]. But the protocol of finalising any series is joint declaration. But that declaration was originally done without the BCCI’s approval. So we are waiting,” Patel said in Mumbai during what turned out to be an impromptu press conference.
Patel didn’t elaborate on what the BCCI has been waiting for, since a meeting between him and CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat on the sidelines of the ICC board meeting in Dubai failed to break the deadlock. ESPNcricinfo understands that Patel had promised CSA that they would hear from BCCI after their AGM on September 29. However, despite N Srinivasan having been elected unopposed as the BCCI president, the BCCI top brass has decided to wait for finalising the tour itinerary till the country’s apex court allows Srinivasan to discharge duties as the BCCI chief. The Supreme Court is going to hear the matter next on October 7.
With the unrest over the South Africa tour increasing, Patel said they were confident of putting an alternate plan in case the South Africa tour is cancelled. “[A] number of countries are ready to play with India. There is no problem at all,” he said. He said there was no plan to host a tri-series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka “at the moment” but has already demonstrated its ability to organise series at short notice – as was evident from the West Indies series.
“There were a couple of reasons [for organising the West Indies series] because BCCI is also committed to its local fans. Somehow, for the season 2013-14, the home series are only 24 days, if I am not wrong. So obviously we were worried about how to do the home series and we are quite happy that the West Indies series has been finalised,” Patel said.
Patel also set aside Mumbai Cricket Association’s objection to the decision to resume international cricket at the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. CCI has a special voting right as per the BCCI constitution and the AGM decided to treat CCI as a separate unit, unlike in the past when the MCA used to decide whether to allot matches to the Brabourne Stadium or not.
“Considering the historical background of CCI as well as all the help [they have provided] as and when required… When the venue questions have arisen, CCI is always there to support and giving some match [to them] won’t be out of turn or something like that,” Patel said. “We considered that some matches will be allocated. MCA’s rotation and everything remains the same. It has got nothing to do with it. This will be an additional allotment, if at all.”
During the last Test hosted at Braboune in December 2009, MCA and CCI were involved in a bitter dispute over payment of rent. However, international cricket returned to the historic venue during the Women’s World Cup earlier this year.
