The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided not to wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict on watering down the contentious conflict of interest clause and intends to go ahead with the formation of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).
The BCCI office-bearers will meet at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai on Thursday.
The formation of the CAC has become important since the term of at least two of the national selectors — current chairman MSK Prasad and his colleague Gagan Khoda, who were appointed in 2015 — has expired. The Board, it is learnt, wants a new selection committee in place before the squad for the New Zealand tour is picked.
The new set of selectors is expected to be in place for three years.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India S. A. Bobde has decided to list the BCCI matter “along with all connected interlocutory applications in January, 2020 before the appropriate bench”.
With no specific date set by the Supreme Court, the BCCI mandarins don’t want to delay the issue any further.
“We will have to form the CAC for just one meeting,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said recently.
This “one meeting” bit has given the BCCI some leeway and the office-bearers are exploring options with its legal team if any of the big names can be roped in.
“Sachin Tendulkar, for example, is in no way connected with Mumbai Indians today. He was not part of their team that was present during the recently held IPL auction. You cannot say he is conflicted. So where is the problem of having him on board now?” a senior functionary told The Telegraph on Tuesday.
“If he is part of Mumbai Indians’ support staff during the IPL in April-May, we can think about omitting him from the CAC then. But today where is the problem? We will explore such things with our legal advisors and then zero in on the three names.”
The BCCI has already sent feelers to Gundappa Viswanath for being a part of the CAC. But since the former India captain turned 70 earlier this year, it could prove to be a deterrent.
“No one is sure if a CAC member can be over 70. So we have to think about it,” the functionary said. “But if Sachin is unavailable, then Viswanath seems to be the ideal candidate.”
Another possible contender is former Committee of Administrators member Diana Edulji. A former India captain, she has played 20 Test matches and 34 ODIs.
It was also learnt that though Sourav is keen on having Virender Sehwag as the selection committee chairman, the financial aspect involved could force him to shelve such plans.
“Having a Sehwag could mean shelling out at least Rs 3.5 crore annually. That is no big deal for the world’s richest cricket body but the BCCI doesn’t wish to set an example,” said a source.
While the senior national selectors get Rs 90 lakh per annum, the chairman receives Rs 1 crore.
It remains to be seen if the BCCI decides to overhaul the selection panel or just replace Prasad and Khoda.
Enjoying strong backing, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan could be South Zone’s representative on the committee. From Central Zone, Amay Khurasia stands a good chance though Mohammed Kaif could be the dark horse.
At its meeting on Thursday, the BCCI will also decide on hosting its annual awards which could be before the Mumbai ODI against Australia on January 14.