The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators on Thursday directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India to announce the side that will play in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy that will be staged in England “immediately”.
“You are aware that the squad representing India at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 was to be submitted by 25th April 2017 but the squad has not even been selected as yet,” said the letter which the COA sent to the BCCI’s members. “Please convene a meeting of the selection committee for selecting the squad immediately. The squad can then be submitted to the ICC without prejudice to BCCI’s legal rights.”
The COA also told the BCCI that no notice could be sent to the BCCI before their Special General Meeting on May 7 and reiterated that it would approach the Supreme Court if any decision taken at the SGM went against the interests of Indian cricket.
The Supreme Court-constituted body also called for “the possibility of a negotiated outcome” being given “a fair chance”.
“We also believe that it is in the interests of Indian cricket that the possibility of a negotiated outcome be fully and constructively pursued before the BCCI takes any irreversible step/ measure. Our discussions with the ICC and other cricket boards have revealed a trust deficit that the BCCI needs to do its part to address,” said the letter. “At the same time, the ICC and other cricket boards have, during the said discussions, also expressed willingness to find common ground with the BCCI. The General Body of the BCCI has itself recognized the need to adopt a collaborative/ non-confrontational approach with the ICC and other cricket boards during the Special General Meeting held on 19th February 2016.”
The deadline for the teams to announce their respective squads was set for May 1. The BCCI was unhappy with the revenue model that the International Cricket Council had announced last month. According to the new revenue distribution, the BCCI will receive $ 293 million from 2016 to 2023. It is a huge pay cut considering the fact that it was drawing an amount of $ 570 million.
The CoA head Vinod Rai, on Tuesday, made it clear that BCCI office-bearers are not mandated to take any decision on India’s Champions Trophy participation without the COA’s approval.