Start clean-up operations at the top: Bindra

Continuing his tirade against the Board of Control for Cricket in India, former president I S Bindra says the players alone should not be blamed for bringing disrepute to the sport.

"We should not give the impression that the players are solely responsible for all malefactions and corruption in the game. I suggested that we should start the clean-up operations at the very top and the administrators should set the example by agreeing for public probity, thus standing up for ethical behaviour and higher moral standards," Bindra wrote on his blog.

He said the BCCI’s top officials have no moral right to preach to cricketers when they themselves are facing charges of "conflict of interests".

"The administrators, facing serious charges of conflict of interests, have no moral right to set standards for players and ask only them to be above board. Besides, Board's working should be totally transparent.

"Its balance-sheet and constitution should be put on its website and there should be constant interaction with the cricket-loving public and accept tangible and worthwhile suggestions from them," wrote Bindra.

He also accused the board of distorting even the minutes of Monday's working committee meeting and is particularly unhappy with the way Jagmohan Dalmiya, head of BCCI's interim set-up, tried to find fault with only the players for all the scandals in the Indian Premier League.

"In the meeting Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya had read out from a prepared text to state that the mobile telephones of players should be impounded before they enter the Dressing Rooms and also ask them to furnish their Bank Accounts and other telephone numbers.

"He thundered that cheerleaders, after-match parties and owners' entry to the dug outs should be banned from both the IPL as well as the upcoming Champions League," Bindra further added.

In the blog on his personal website, Bindra also hit out at the BCCI’s joint-secretary Anurag Thakur for fudging the minutes of the meeting.

"As usual the media release of the June 10th Working Committee meeting of the Indian cricket board in Delhi does not reflect actual deliberations/discussion and decisions. Going by the contents of the release put out by the board's joint secretary, it appears he was attending a meeting which was different from the one attended by a majority of members!" he wrote.

Photograph: I S Bindra