A day after chief selector Kris Srikkanth cautioned against playing the blame game following India’s dismal showing in England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a significant selectorial reform. In an effort to widen the pool and pick selectors with a greater understanding of contemporary cricket, the board’s working committee decided on Monday to reduce the ‘cooling-off’ period for retired cricketers from ten to five years.
This means that international or first class players will be eligible to serve on the selection committee five years after retirement, instead of the 10-year criterion that was enforced when paid selectors were introduced.
“If you look at the pool of good ex-cricketers, then there are not many who can make it to the selection committee because of the ten years clause. The members felt that 10 years is too long a period and that is why changes were made,” a top BCCI official said.
Prasad as selector?
The board has also decided to make a few changes in the senior selection committee. The name of former India seamer Venkatesh Prasad is creating a buzz around the BCCI headquarters as a possible new selector, with former India skipper and KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) president Anil Kumble said to be pushing for his former teammate.
The working committee have left the onus on BCCI chief Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan on reviewing the players’ performance in the England series. “The review will be done only when the Indian team is back. It will be not be fair to disturb players when they are on tour,” the source added.
Meanwhile, IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers has sought permission from the BCCI to move its home base from Kochi to Ahmedabad.
Kumble has also recommended that more practice games be allotted to the Indian team ahead of major international series. The Indian team didn’t play a single warm-up game before the Test series in South Africa and only one, marred by rain, ahead of the England series. Kumble has pointed out that only eleven players would get match practice if only one first-class game were scheduled, and that having more tour games would be the only way to ensure that all 16 touring members play competitive cricket before the start of the Tests. “The BCCI accepted his views, and the committee too felt that more practice games should be allotted,” the source said.
