The Working Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will meet here on Friday. The BCCI’s AGM is likely to be postponed while the support staff of the Indian team till the ICC World Cup 2015 will be named.
Since the Supreme Court has said the Board’s elected president N. Srinivasan should keep away from discharging his official duties till the Mudgal panel, probing alleged corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL), submits its final report, the AGM is unlikely to happen this month. The Board’s annual report has to be signed by its president, but Mr. Srinivasan cannot do so without the apex court’s consent. BCCI’s interim chief Shivlal Yadav will not be able to stand in for him here, sources said.
“The accounts of the IPL have to be signed by the president since the tournament is conducted by the BCCI. But Shivlal cannot do so since there was a separate court-appointed head for the tournament this year. Secondly, there is no provision for an interim president in the BCCI constitution,” a BCCI official said.
There is a clause in the BCCI constitution that says the AGM has to be held before September 30 as per the convenience of its president. In this case, however, the president is not in a position to put his signature on the papers. Mr. Srinivasan will not attend the meeting.
The Board, after postponing the AGM, is likely to request the Supreme Court for time till the Mudgal panel comes up with its findings. The committee is expected to give its report before November 10.
As and when the AGM happens, Mr. Srinivasan is seeking to continue as president. It is East Zone’s turn this time but members from the East have decided to nominate Mr. Srinivasan who enjoys majority support in the Board. The Supreme Court’s directives will be critical in the days ahead.
Coming to the Indian team’s support staff, the names of B. Arun and Sanjay Bangar (assistant coaches) and R. Sridhar (fielding coach) are certain to be confirmed. And coach Duncan Fletcher could continue in his job till the premier ODI competition in Australia and New Zealand concludes.
Although Fletcher has been under fire, there is a belief that it would be unwise to replace the head coach before the World Cup. Bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding coach Trevor Penney, who were told to go on ‘vacation’, after the Test series in England, will be given the option of working in the National Cricket Academy till their term gets over.
The Board is keen to retain Ravi Shastri — he was named the Director of the Indian team for the ODI series in England — but the former India all-rounder’s media duties might prevent him from taking up a more central role till the World Cup.
Shastri could be a consultant with the Indian team before becoming the side’s Director again for the World Cup. On its part, the Board has agreed to compensate Shastri for the losses he will incur for not fulfilling his media commitments.
