With the ICC Cricket World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand in February-March 2015, two 50-over one-day tournaments — the inter-State Vijay Hazare and the inter-zonal Prof. Deodhar Trophy — will gain precedence over the national championship for the Ranji Trophy, which is a first class tournament.
The Vijay Hazare and Prof. Deodhar Trophy will mark the start of the BCCI’s 2014-15 season. The full domestic itinerary for the season will be announced on August 3 (Sunday).
The BCCI’s Technical Committee, headed by Anil Kumble, which met at the Cricket Centre here on Saturday, has recommended the change in the annual tournament schedule to the Working Committee, which is expected to ratify the same.
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The Technical Committee feels that the domestic cricketers need to be given adequate opportunities to perform in limited-over tournaments before the Indian team is selected for the World Cup.
The BCCI’s Tour Programme and Fixtures Committee also met to allot Tests, ODIs and T20s to be played against the West Indies this winter.
The only home international season this year will feature three Tests against the West Indies at Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, five ODIs at Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Dharamsala and Kochi and a Twenty20 match at New Delhi. The itinerary will be announced at a later date.
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According to a BCCI source, the Challenger series for the N.K.P. Salve Trophy, played between the India Blue, Red and Green teams and the Vijay Hazare Trophy winner, and the Corporate Trophy for the Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy is unlikely to be held because of want of quality players.
“India’s four IPL teams take away almost 60 players for the Champions League Twenty20 and the selectors find it difficult to pick teams from the third and fourth lot of Indian players. Similarly, the top players are not available during the crowded domestic schedule,’’ said a BCCI official.
The Technical Committee meeting was attended by Sandeep Patil, chairman of the senior national selection committee.
Recommendations of the Technical Committee: 1. Limited-over tournaments before the Ranji Trophy in the 2014-15 season.
2. The age-group for the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy to be changed from under-25 to under-23. [The under-23 teams will be called ‘A’ teams, and only three Ranji Trophy cricketers (irrespective of their age) will be permitted in the playing XI]
3. The NKP Salve Challenger Trophy and the BCCI Corporate Trophy be deferred for the season owing to the crowded domestic calendar.
4. All ICC Playing Conditions pertaining to limited-overs cricket be implemented in domestic matches as well; this includes a new ball from each end and field restrictions.