'Respect cricketers on Apex Council'

ICA president Ashok Malhotra

The presence of former cricketers in the Apex Councils of state associations has not gone down well with the BCCI-affiliated units.

In fact, it has come to the notice of the newly-formed Indian Cricketers' Association (ICA) that certain state associations are not respecting the ICA representative at Apex Council meetings.

The Justice Lodha Committee made provisions for retired cricketers to be in associations' Apex Councils so that they can be a part of the decision-making process. The ICA through its own electoral proceedings, had a male and female representative nominee to the Apex body during October 13 elections last year.

The ICA nominated an ex-cricketer for state units which did not have nominees. Taking cognizance of various complaints from the representative, the ICA after legal consultation, has written to units like Delhi, Rajasthan and Bihar to accept and follow all procedures as per the constitution where ICA representatives are concerned.

According to ICA president Ashok Malhotra, most state units have "wholeheartedly accepted" ICA representatives.

"There are a few states like Bihar, Delhi and to an extent, Rajasthan [who are not cooperating]. We have written to them; told them about the Supreme Court order.

"If all Apex Council members are not called for meetings, they will be considered null and void - decisions taken at those meetings will not have any value," Malhotra told mid-day on Sunday.

He added: "There are a couple of NorthEast associations which have not taken the Apex Council seriously. These are teething problems and we are trying to resolve the issues."

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has been apprised of the problem. "I told Sourav that we expect you to send a letter to them [state units] in this regard," said the former India Test cricketer.

The presence of the ICA representative is probably being viewed as interference. "A wrong impression is created that the ICA is trying to dictate terms at meetings. The agenda of having cricketers in the state body is to have players be a part of the decision-making process.

"We have also told our representatives that they can provide a viewpoint but not get into any kind of confrontation," Malhotra concluded.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news