Vaughan asks ECB to stop opposing BCCI

Former captain Michael Vaughan on Friday lashed out at the "arrogant" England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for its stubborn resistance to the BCCI and advised them to "embrace" Champions League, calling the Twenty20 event as an "education" for the young British players.

The ECB is apparently in no mood to change its domestic calendar to accommodate Champions League Twenty20, which is scheduled from September 10-26.

Vaughan said ECB should budge from its anti-BCCI stand and allow the youngsters to play in Champions League.

"The Champions League is not for international players. It is for the county lads to earn a few quid and get a massive buzz from playing in big grounds in front of decent crowds, something they never experience at home," Vaughan wrote in The Daily Telegraph.

Advising ECB to join hands with BCCI in running the Twenty20 league, Vaughan said, "They all feel we should be on the board of the Champions League governing council; that we should have a say to prevent this kind of situation developing. But we are powerless and paying for it.

"I hate the fact that in this country we are arrogant and stubborn. We say 'we are not letting India rule the world'. Yet everyone else manages to build a relationship with India and makes a nice living off the back of it," he said.

"Like every other country, we should be making money from Champions League. It is here to stay. It has a 10-year TV deal worth $1 billion (£637 million) and is not going to disappear. We should embrace it," he said.

Vaughan panned ECB for its inability to accept the fact that India has become the market leader in global cricket.

"We resent the fact they can match the passion and fans with the financial muscle. It's time to stop continually fighting with them and to start building relationships," he explained.

"We have to realise we are never going to beat them. They will always hold the power, especially during a recession. They are the ones with the money while English cricket struggles to bring in new finance and new income streams," elaborated the former skipper.

Vaughan also resented the county calendar as he found it "ridiculous" and said, "Now we are paying the price and our players will miss out on the chance of picking the brains of the best players in the world and improving in a format which we are not very good at."

Elaborating the importance of events like Champions League, Vaughan said, "Tournaments such as Champions League offer a chance to learn how the best players train, practice and approach the game. It's an education."