BCCI’s absurdities deprive fans of quality cricket

All the hullaballoo over Asia Cup’s venues and its schedule has left a bad taste in the mouth

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA:

The incorrigible officials of the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) who never let go of any opportunity to politicise any sports event involving Pakistan, have yet again put their egos before the game of cricket to deprive billions of fans in both the neighboring countries as well as around the world from what would have been really exciting Asia Cup contests during the past few days.

The ongoing Asia Cup had its share of controversies even before the tournament started, thanks to BCCI, whose ridiculously obstinate stance of not playing in Pakistan despite them being the host nation brought things to a head.

All the hullaballoo made over the Cup’s venues and the schedule of the tournament, of course, left a bad taste in the mouth, both for the fans and critics alike.

In a rare instance then, the Pakistan Cricket Board too decided to stick to to its guns and the ex-PCB Chairman Najam Sethi’s hybrid model was reluctantly accepted by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah & Company as well as by the other competing teams.

The tournament finally got off on August 30 and it was believed that the exciting on-field action will soon put the distasteful saga that had preceded the start of the six-nation event as a thing of the past.

However, it was not to be. Jay Shah obviously had an axe to grind with Pakistan and the PCB and quickly darted in to veto the shifting of matches to Hambantota after the rains had washed out the opening Pakistan-India match on September 2.

The incumbent PCB chief Zaka Ashraf, miffed with the stubbornness of the BCCI officials, called for shifting of the remaining matches to Lahore but Shah never relented.

As a result, even the Super 4 Pakistan-India match on Sunday is under a grave threat of getting washed out, despite the reserve day on Monday.

To everyone’s surprise, the much-awaited fixture is being played to empty stands, an alien sight to the Pakistan-India games which are invariably packed to capacity contests. Such has been the negativity exuded by the BCCI officials.

Like always, it has been the Indian cricket board (BCCI) that has proved to be the spoilsport once again, making an unnecessary issue of egos at every stage of this tournament whereas Pakistan, being the host nation, has shown a lot of flexibility, though in vain.  

Former Pakistan captains Rashid Latif and Shahid Afridi have not minced any words in blaming the BCCI and its Secretary Jay Shah for once again being the spoilsport here, making a mockery of the Asia Cup, a tournament which is now proving to be largely a jinxed affair.

Former PCB chief Sethi also described BCCI’s policies and Shah’scomments as “unilateral” on Twitter. In a separate statement, the PCB described it as, “without any thoughts towards their long-term consequences and implications”.

Unfortunately, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), much like the ICC, has merely been a bystander in the entire saga. In fact, the  ACC have forever been sub-servient to the BCCI on key issues of the event’s hosting, schedules etc.

The BCCI’s unfair, unlawful strong-arm tactics have been creating a lot of bad blood in international cricket for the past decade and a half and someone needs to put an end to those now, or the gentleman’s game will lose its sanctity for good.