BCCI reduces match fees; abolishes contract system for players

Updated at 5.25pm

MUMBAI: Taking a tough stand in the wake of India's World Cup debacle, the BCCI on Saturday scrapped the players' contract system and reverted to payment of match fees, including bonus for every series win.

It decided to cut down the players' one-day fees from Rs 1.6 lakh to Rs 1 lakh each and give bonus of Rs 3 lakh each for winning a series, BCCI sources said. However, the the retainership for all players will remain the same.

A player cannot endorse more than three products but the existing endorsement contracts would be allowed to run. Players will not be allowed to shoot endorsements two weeks prior to a tour.

The existing graded contract system under which senior players were paid more than others was scrapped and will be replaced by a performance-based system of payment per match, BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan told a press conference.

Linking payments directly to performance, it was decided that the players would be played a flat fee with incentives for winning. No figures were announced but the word going round was that the payments would be around Rs one lakh for an ODI and about Rs 2.50 lakh for a Test.

The formation of a Cricket Advisory Committee has also been announced. It will have the Board President as Chairman and include seven former captains - Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Chandu Borde, S Venkataraghavan, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Krish Srikkanth - and Board office bearers as members.

 

A fitness test for players will be conducted before every tour. When injured and out of action, a player would be paid what he would have earned by playing the matches he was missing, Srinivasan said. All players will also need to play a stipulated number of domestic matches in a year when not playing for India. The Ranji Trophy elite group would be reduced from 15 teams to 10 by 2008-09 and all state associations have been asked to prepare "lively wickets".

 

Treasurer N Srinivasan said that the Committee also decided that players shall have no exclusive contract with the electronic or print media and only the captain shall be allowed to speak to the media and write columns. Two media managers for the team will also be appointed.

The BCCI Working Committee, which met at the Wankhede Stadium here, said players' endorsements contracts would be restricted to three per cricketer at a time.

It has also been decided that a player cannot shoot for any commercial fifteen days prior to a match. Further, no sponsor can contract more than two players.

 

The Board has also decided to abolish the zonal selection system with immediate effect. A proposal in this regard would be made in the next Working Committee meeting, which would be ratified by the annual general meeting of the Board.

 

While Dravid has been retained captain till the England tour, the board has decided to send a young team for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh, the team for which will be announced on April 11. The frequency of under-19 tours will also be increased in the coming years.

 

"We have instructed the selection committee to send a young team to Bangladesh with an experienced captain," BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan told reporters at the end of a two-day review of the World Cup performance. 
  

"All of us are very disappointed that the team was knocked out in the first round and the captain and coach admitted that the whole team was responsible for the loss. But it is not the end of the world. We have to move forward and I am sure we will do well in future. It's a sport after all and there will be wins and defeats. By retaining Dravid as captain, we want to send out a signal that there is no cause for panic," he said.

 

Srinivasan's announcement about the Working Committee's direction to the selection committee to choose a "young" team for Bangladesh set off speculation that some seniors could be axed.

He explained the rationale behind the decision as saying that it was Board's anxiety to create a pool of young players to build for a sound future.

 

Asked whether Dravid was chosen captain on the direction of the Board, he said the Working Committee asked the selectors to choose a captain and they came back and informed the committee of their decision.

Srinivasan said there were precedents when the Board had asked selectors to include or exclude players.

 

No announcement was made about Chappell but sources said that he could come in as a consultant at the National Cricket Academy after which he may find his way back with the team as a consultant.

To a question on outgoing coach Greg Chappell, he said President Sharad Pawar was interested in utilising his experience and expertise. Chappell, he said, had on Friday told the Board he was not looking for renewing his contract and wanted to take time off cricket after the "strain" of having been the Indian coach.

"The President expressed the view that Chappell would continue and his knowledge and expertise in development of Indian cricket would be available", Srinivasan said adding there were no specifics discussed.

No coach was appointed and speculation about a possible future role for Chappell continued with the BCCI President Sharad Pawar wanting him continue his association with Indian cricket. The Australian, suffering from "strain", went for a check-up to a hospital which gave him a clean bill of health.

While Venkatesh Prasad has been named the bowling coach for the Bangladesh tour, Robin Singh has been appointed the fielding coach. Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri has accepted BCCI's offer for the post of cricket manager for the tour. Shastri, a cricketer-turned-commentator, will double up as manager-coach only for the Bangladesh tour as the BCCI attempts to find a successor to outgoing coach Greg Chappell for future assignments.

Reacting to his selection as manager, Shastri believed that he had the experience and could play a part in putting Indian cricket back on track.

"It did surprise me but having said that if you look at the state of Indian cricket at the moment, I thought it was a good time to put your hand up and asked to be counted," he said.

Robin Singh expressed confidence that he would help the side improve its standards to match the top two teams in the world.

He said the team was not doing well in recent times as far as fielding is concerned and said he would raise the level of fielding to the top two teams in the world in the long run.

Sources said the Working Committee decided that BCCI would appoint two media managers and the Board President Sharad Pawar would meet Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra to discuss the proposed Indian Cricket League.