India’s tour of Australia is in serious jeopardy as the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the International Cricket Council seem to be heading for a collision.
Lift ban on Bhajji & remove Bucknor, says BCCI. ICC says no
MUMBAI: India’s tour of Australia is in serious jeopardy as the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the International Cricket Council seem to be heading for a collision.
On a day of fast developments and high drama, the BCCI demanded unconditional suspension of the ban on Harbhajan Singh and immediate withdrawal of Steve Bucknor from the third Test. Neither of the demands was acceptable to the game’s world governing body.
The ICC confirmed to DNA on Monday that Bucknor was slated to officiate in the third Test in Perth on January 16. But the West Indian is not acceptable to the BCCI, more precisely the Indian team. The players have told the Indian Board in no uncertain terms that they do not want to play the Perth Test under Bucknor’s supervision. Asad Rauf of Pakistan is the other umpire for the match.
Consequently, the BCCI, which has been shy of making the contents of its complaint about umpiring public on Sunday, came out openly on Monday, stating that the 61-year-old umpire is not acceptable. The Board officials even gave the ICC a 24-hour deadline failing which they threatened to pull out of the series.
The ICC, however, is no mood to budge. “The standard Test match playing conditions are signed by the respective boards, and the condition states that neither team has a right to object to an umpire’s appointment. There is little the ICC can do,” an ICC spokesman said.
The toughening of the stand of the BCCI, which hitherto had been for the continuation of the tour, has come following strong reaction from the players who are believed to be against any further participation in the tour if the racial slur accusation against Harbhajan was not immediately revoked. Reports said even Sachin Tendulkar text-messaged BCCI chief Sharad Pawar that the Board should stand by the offie, who has been banned for three Tests on charges of racial abuse against Andrew Symonds. Pawar spoke to skipper Anil Kumble and assured him that the Board would take every possible step to ensure that the players’ concerns are addressed.
Following the players’ reaction, the BCCI has asked the team management to stay put in Sydney till further instruction. Cricket Australia came on record that there was no threat to the tour but no one in the BCCI is willing to say that as yet. The Board officials aren’t even willing to hazard a guess if the scheduled two-day tour game in Canberra from Thursday is on.
Meanwhile, the Board has called an emergency meeting of its all-powerful working committee. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 7 pm on Tuesday at Pawar’s residence in New Delhi. By that time, the 24-hour deadline, that it has set before the ICC, would also have expired.
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