Cricket Buzz: BCCI set to snub Pakistan, correct flawed FTP

The BCCI is all set to have its way at the ICC Futures Tours and Programmes (FTP) Meeting as the Board will keep Pakistan out of the six nations it will play during the upcoming World Test Championship.

The two-day meeting is scheduled in Singapore from December 7.

Along with the Pakistan snub, the BCCI will also look to correct what current regime terms as a “flawed FTP” wherein they will have two dedicated home series slots every year in –February-March and October-November.

As per the schedules approved, starting 2019, nine top Test teams will play six series over two years (three at home and three away) in the two-year Test championship.

It has been reliably learnt that during the upcoming meeting in Singapore next month, BCCI will name Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as their six opponents.

BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary are supposed to travel to Singapore for the meeting.

"The ICC knows the ground realities and especially chairman Shashank Manohar as he was BCCI president sometime back. We can’t play Pakistan as it is Indian government’s prerogative to allow us play them in a bilateral series,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"Our proposed opponent list is all set to be passed at the FTP Meet in Singapore. Also as per new World Test Championship rules, if the opposition is not in the proposed list, India will not have to forfeit points or pay penalty."

Apart from acting president CK Khanna, no other principal office bearers have come on record to support Virat Kohli’s claims of fatigue, which many believe is due to flawed FTP calendar that was set earlier.

"People are talking about two India versus Sri Lanka series inside four months but that’s only a part of the issue. Sri Lanka last played a Test series in India in 2009 so they have not played here for eight years. At some point in time, they had to come to India for a Test series. However, the earlier regime while deciding on FTP never looked at the balance,” the influential official said.

"We played 13 home Tests in 2016-17 season and the whole of 2018, we will be playing abroad. Now what kind of FTP scheduling is this? This is where the problem is and no wonder Virat is annoyed.

"For proper balance, we will now have these two slots – February-March and October-November for home cricket. The December-January is a slot where we can go for away tours,” the official explained.

BCCI asks RCA warring factions to bury hatchet

The BCCI has asked the warring factions of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) to bury the hatchet and withdraw the cases filed against the apex body if it wants the suspension imposed on the state body to be removed.

The acting BCCI president C K Khanna, who was in Jaipur, met the RCA officials. In the elections held earlier this year in May, former RCA President Lalit Modi did not contest and also resigned from all the posts in RCA.

"Lalit Modi might have resigned but some of the cases filed against BCCI by the RCA are still not withdrawn. The BCCI is keen to get RCA back into the main fold by revoking the suspension but the warring factions will have to bury the hatchet and withdraw the cases filed against BCCI," Khanna said.

"We already have the RCA matter on the agenda for the BCCI SGM scheduled for 11th of December and hopefully RCA will have something to smile,” Khanna said.

The matter is also to be heard in the High Court which has asked both RCA and the BCCI to resolve the issues between them.

On the other hand, the woes of RCA continue as both the Modi faction and C P Joshi faction are on war path since the elections in which veteran Congress leader Joshi was elected as President and Modi’s confidante Rajendra Singh Nandu had emerged as secretary.

In the first AGM after the elections, Joshi faction had suspended Nandu who is also the secretary of the Nagaur District Cricket Association where Modi was also the President.

Talking about the internal dissensions, Nandu said that he was the legally elected secretary of RCA.

"The Joshi faction might have suspended me but the election Observer Mrs. Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra has ruled in my favour so I am the legally elected Secretary. They will have to come to me if they want to resolve the issues.” claimed Nandu.

On the other hand Joint Secretary Mahendra Nahar who was declared officiating Secretary after Nandu was suspended said that they were hopeful of a positive outcome.

"All 33 district units have resolved all issues. Hopefully the High Court in its hearing on 11th would come out with a favorable verdict and the BCCI would give us at least some temporary relief," said Nahar.