BCCI president Shashank Manohar is convinced that the conflict of interest issue is the root cause of the damage to the standing of the institution. He is committed to resolving this issue.
However, there are a few clauses stopping former players from running cricket academies while participating in the administration side of the sport. If former players are not encouraged to share and pass on their knowledge of the game, how else is the sport supposed to grow?
In fact, the demand for coaching is so high in India that State associations can’t manage it by themselves. By running academies, ex-cricketers complement the efforts of the associations.
If the concern is that an ex-player may have a bias during selections, the President may just ensure that such persons are excluded from selections. This cannot be the sole reason to keep former players out of administration.
Manohar, who has been president before, is well versed with the undercurrent of politics that guides operations in the BCCI. He has proposed amendments to clean up the act. In order to achieve his goal of overhauling the constitution, Manohar needs a two-third majority.
This would help standardise the constitutions of the State associations in accordance with the parent body.
Currently each State association has its own constitution that is not only detached from the constitution of the BCCI but also from each other.
The top priority for the president must be to have a uniform constitution for all associations so that the Board can have better control. Every association has a different election tenure, and procedure, which perpetuates the politics of vested interests. This in turn ensures that networking and mutual interests take precedence over the game.
Maybe the answer lies in ensuring that those who have played the game take part in its administration as well. This means clearing the path of all hurdles for such players.
The call to create more conducive contexts for former players to enter the administration side of the sport is growing strong; especially in a scenario when many non-cricketers, some with dubious or criminal records, managing the sport have proven to be inexperienced administrators.
As Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi had advocated, a percentage of seats in the managing committee must be reserved for former players in all State associations. The votes for such posts must be cast by former first-class cricketers and umpires.
All these points would suggest that Manohar needs to prioritise accountability rather than resolving only conflict of interest issues.
At the moment, accountability is at a high discount. The BCCI has no control over finances or grants which run into crores.
The need for uniformity is apparent if one considers the cases of Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, Delhi & Districts Cricket Association, and Rajasthan Cricket Association. While all three have run into choppy waters, only one — RCA — had a course correction through an ad hoc committee.
Manohar means well for Indian cricket but he has to prioritise issues which would help the game grow professionally; rather than remaining focused on a single issue that may not resolve the problems in the system.
