Appoint ad-hoc body to run cricket in Bihar: Aditya Verma
Cricket Association of Bihar’s (CAB’s) Aditya Verma said the BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) needed to quickly identify a set of ‘neutral’ officers to govern cricket in the state.
Cricket Association of Bihar’s (CAB’s) Aditya Verma has urged the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) to appoint an adhoc body to run the game in Bihar. The Supreme Court had ordered the Indian cricket Board in January this year to admit Bihar in all domestic tournaments. On May 2, the apex court reiterated that Bihar can participate in all tournaments from September 2018.
In a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Verma said the CoA needed to quickly identify a set of ‘neutral’ officers to govern cricket in Bihar.
“Vinod Rai (CoA chairman) will be 70 years old on May 23. Given that the Lodha panel has proposed age cap for all cricket administrators, will he also fall under the same rule?” asked Verma, who said the BCCI either needed to identify the legally elected officials in Bihar or appoint an ombudsman to oversee the state’s return to domestic cricket.
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Bihar has not played domestic cricket for 18 years. The formation of Jharkhand in 2000 only made matters worse for the state that has seen at least three cricket bodies under separate political bigwigs.
On August 11, 2015 the Supreme Court acknowledged the election of Bihar Cricket Association under president Abdul Bari Siddiqui.
“Rabi Shankar Prasad Singh, who was elected secretary in 2015, is the only person who is calling the shots. None of the other office bearers are there. How can the CoA recognise this body?” asked Verma.
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That Bihar’s fractious cricket associations will trade charges was expected when Supreme Court ordered Bihar’s admission into domestic cricket. Verma said this was the time to set the house in order and Rai’s CoA had a crucial role to play.
“If the CoA plays a fair game and the BCCI officials rise above petty politics, then Bihar will start playing cricket again. Adhoc officials had helped Rajasthan return to mainstream cricket, why can’t Bihar?” said Verma.
Interestingly, the current GM – cricket operations of the BCCI, Syed Saba Karim, is a former Bihar cricketer who went onto play for India. His role in this complex matter will also be watched.
