dna has reliably learnt that BCCI president Anurag Thakur has been putting pressure on International Cricket Council's chairman Shashank Manohar to give him a place in the all-important Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee of the international cricket body even before October 15 when the new committee is to be formed by the ICC's Board of Directors.
With Justice RM Lodha Committee reforms looming large on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the fear of becoming "jobless" is giving sleepless nights to many of its top functionaries.
dna has reliably learnt that BCCI president Anurag Thakur has been putting pressure on International Cricket Council's chairman Shashank Manohar to give him a place in the all-important Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee of the international cricket body even before October 15 when the new committee is to be formed by the ICC's Board of Directors.
It was only after he failed to get any positive response from Manohar that BCCI top bosses, Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke, opened up a war front against the ICC on budgetary and two-tier Test issue. Giles Clarke of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is presently the head of the ICC's finance committee till October and there is no representation from the BCCI at present.
Knowing well that in the wake of Lodha Committee recommendations, there is every possibility that the BCCI could well send some other name for the ICC's finance committee post in October, this was Thakur's last ditch attempt to ensure a lucrative job post reforms as he is set to lose his positions both in BCCI as well as home state association, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association.
'Suspend us please'
As if this is not enough, BCCI top officials have also been putting pressure on ICC to issue a letter "threatening sanctions and suspension from the world cricket if there is any intervention from either government or judiciary".
This has come after BCCI filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the implementation of Justice Lodha committee reforms. dna has learnt that it was Thakur, who urged ICC chairman to issue a letter in order to strengthen BCCI's case in the apex court.
But the ICC chairman, who is also a well-known lawyer, in response, put the ball back in BCCI's court by quoting the rule book that "BCCI, with some member countries seconding it, should come up with a formal request in this regard".
The BCCI could never come up with a formal request since it would have amounted to the contempt of the apex court.
As per ICC's own assessment "there is no government intervention in BCCI's functioning" and hence there was no need to get into the affairs of any judicial process.
For the record, ICC has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket and Nepal Cricket in the past after the governments dissolved the board's elected body and put an ad-hoc committee to run cricket administration. But, the case of India has completely been different from the both countries.
The ICC response has not gone down well with the BCCI top officials and that's how it started opposing the world body by accusing Manohar of pleasing the "White World".
The truth behind budget
BCCI's war cry over budgetary allocation for Champions Trophy in England and opposition to the two-tier Test proposal were basically to show Manohar in poor light.
dna has documents showing that BCCI was well aware of the figures that were allocated to ECB. Contrary to the reported allocation of $135million as alleged by BCCI, the budget for the Champions Trophy 2017 including television production cost is $46,781,507. The budget copy, with entire cost details, was already in possession of BCCI.
The BCCI had every right to cancel it during the Board of Directors meeting. Instead, it has chosen to play a victim card after accepting all.
The two-tier Test proposal is also another classic example of BCCI's misgiving. ICC has already clarified that two-tier Test proposal was floated by Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia and was to come up for discussion among the member boards as bilateral rights belong to them.
Manohar, himself, opposed this idea of a two-tier system in an ICC meeting in the presence of Shirke and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Anurag Thakur")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}