State cricket associations will now have to adopt a cautious approach when engaging coaches and support staff who suffer from major ailments or are over the age of 60.
This follows the BCCI on Sunday issuing a 100-page document ‘Guidelines for resumption of cricket activities’, which details the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for State associations and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in the wake of COVID-19.
Rahul Dravid, Head of Cricket, NCA, is likely to head the COVID-19 Task Force.
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“Individuals who are over 60 … support staff, umpires, ground staff, and those … with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, weakened immunity, etc. should be considered vulnerable … All such individuals should be discouraged from participating in camp activities until suitable guidelines [from] the Government,” states the document.
This puts a question mark over the participation of renowned coaches such as Chandrakant Pandit (diabetic, Madhya Pradesh), Karsan Ghavri (69 years old, Saurashtra), Arun Lal (65, Bengal) and Dav Whatmore (66, Baroda) in pre-season training. “The apex council later this week will discuss the issue in detail about whether to ask Whatmore to join the camp should we decide to resume,” Baroda CA joint secretary Ajit Lele told The Hindu on Monday.
He added that the association had last month resumed fitness camps for under-16, under-19, under-23 and senior men’s probables but put them on hold until August 5.
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Age-fudging issue
The BCCI has offered amnesty for cricketers who voluntarily disclose by September 15 that they have tampered with their birthdate proof. It also announced that it will bar cricketers from age-group tournaments in India if found guilty of age-fudging “either by the State association or BCCI”.
“Age fraud is a serious matter and is detrimental to the health of the sport. Many youngsters who are supposed to be playing in a particular age group fail to make it owing to age fraud,” Dravid said in a statement. “With the BCCI taking stern actions to curb this, it is only advisable for the players to come forward and abide by the directives.”