BCCI pulls up MCA over hosting an England squad

BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, in a letter dated November 29 (a copy of which is with MiD DAY), has asked the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to furnish details of the match played at the DY Patil Stadium and whether the organisers had taken permission from the association.

Bringing up a decision taken at BCCI's Annual General Meeting in September 2010, the letter states: "The Chairman brought to the notice of the house that there were instances where foreign teams were invited by the state associations to play matches and attend practice camps. He advised all members not to entertain any foreign team without the prior permission of the Board."

England pace ace Steven Finn, who missed the first two Tests against India after injuring his thigh in the first warm-up tie at the Brabourne Stadium, claimed four wickets in that match. The EPP squad consists of the likes of Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan and Scott Borthwick, who are looked upon as replacements for the England squad in case of any injury.

MCA joint secretary Nitin Dalal said they were awaiting a reply from the organisers. "We have forwarded the letter to the DY Patil Stadium. We are expecting a reply in a day or two. We have asked them to provide reasons for hosting the England players," Dalal told MiD DAY yesterday.

Incidentally, MCA's vice-president Vijay Patil is the owner of the DY Patil Stadium. It can be recalled that the BCCI had earlier objected the MCA's decision to move the second warm-up tie against England from the Bandra-Kurla Complex ground to DY Patil Stadium. It was finally sorted after the intervention of the MCA president Ravi Savant, who met BCCI chief N Srinivasan.u00a0