ICC exposed: Srinivasan issue puts cricket’s purity at stake
View(s):Sometime ago a person much older than me came up with a theory that got me thinking. He had a valid argument, but I wonder if many of you would agree with his point of view. Nevertheless his argument, I believe, may be a practical explanation to many a problems in our day-to-day lives. We come across such instances so many times.
The man theorized: “Never give a large amount of money to a beggar just because you begin to feel sorry for him and a feeling of guilt is building within you. Remember, that would never change him or his lifestyle. If it is a big note, sometimes he may even not use it. He would stack it away and the next day he would be at the same place, indulging in what he can do best. May be if you part with an adequate sum that is appropriate, it may be a better merchandise for the receiver. Even if you throw him in a house with all the goodies and comforts, the chances are that it may not help him to change his lifestyle or his habits.”
In short he said that in situations a human verdict may not be the most appropriate solution to a given problem. Even if a certain course of action is radically wrong and the ensuing solution is not appropriate, the status quo just remains the same.
Just the other day, the whole cricketing world woke up to a news item that that even superseded hectic action at the ICC conducted World T-20 Championships in Bangladesh, where the best cricketers in the globe are seen in action on one stage.
After some months of deliberation, India’s judiciary was ready to probe last year’s IPL scandal involving several cricketers and Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of the most powerful man in cricket on earth – Narayanaswami Srinivasan, head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The main charge against them is that they fixed matches.
From the inception it was a high profile case. And when the final verdict comes out one day, it may even have some vibrant effects on the modern day game’s money spinner, the Indian Premier League, and the people who are involved in it and govern it.
However before the proceedings really began, India’s Supreme Court put forward some prerequisites. One of them was that Srinivasan should step down as the BCCI head and should not hold the position till the case is over. Then after much huffing and puffing and deliberation, Srinivasan decided to step aside, till such time. The court had warned that if Srinivasan did not move out, it would be compelled to bring in a motion that would make it mandatory for him to vacate his position.
Let us a put a semi-colon at this point and travel back in cricket management a few weeks back. When the ‘Big Three’ concept was poured down the throats of the rest of the cricketing world by the gang of three comprising India, England and Australia in their bid to capture the control of the International Cricket Council (ICC), one thing was clear as daylight. It is that from April 2014, Srinivasan is going to take control of the ICC for one year and it is also learned that it is because during this period the ICC TV rights deal is due to come up for ratification.
'ICC is Srinivasan or Srinivasan is ICC?'
Let us come back to the original sin, the Meiyappan-led scandal that has put question marks on Srinivasan’s suitability to sit as BCCI chief.
Once Srinivasan stepped down as BCCI head, there was another development. The BCCI wanted Srinivasan to continue as its ICC representative. Then the court made its view clear stating that it was an internal matter for the BCCI as Srinivasan is an official of the Tamil Nadu cricket set up.
Now where is this peg going to fit in? This is like the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. How many faces does Srinivasan have in cricket? On one side, the Indian Supreme Court is of the view that with Srinivasan at the helm a certain case could not be conducted to its full effect, but some elements within are of the view that he is ready to represent the world’s richest cricketing nation at the controlling body of the game in the world – the ICC.
I still cannot press the right button, but, I can see that there is something radically wrong somewhere. The world of cricket seems to have gone bonkers. Now it is clear that by virtue of being the Indian representative at the ICC, there is nothing to stop him from taking over the world of cricket and becoming the ICC chief.
I cannot understand the logic. The Indian Supreme Court is of the view that it cannot proceed with the case that that has severe match fixing implications in a just manner with Srinivasan at the helm of Indian cricket. However now it seems that the road is clear for the all-powerful man to take over the reins of ICC and run it.
Now this world body is supposed to run on certain above-the-board principals. It has put various checks and balances to see that players or officials involved with the game stay clear of acts that would bring the game into disrepute. If so a high profile inquiry is in place with an IPL franchise owner, who is a close relative of Srinivasan, facing match-fixing charges. Yet, until this moment, the ICC has not officially come out with its view on the developments.
Now April 2014 has already arrived. Would it be right for this highest body of cricket to entertain such a person in that important position knowing the gravity of the situation? We accept that still Srinivasan has not been found guilty of any offence nor is he a suspect in this case. But, the Indian Supreme Court is of the view that Srinivasan’s links with the suspects may hamper the investigations. The company owned by Srinivasan – Indian cement — or any of its employees has been debarred from getting involved matters pertaining to Indian cricket. Already one official who was with the Indian team in Dhaka who is an employee of Indian cement has been sent back home.
Once tainted the dark patches will remain in ugly blotches. The question is the purity of the game of cricket. Could the rest of the world act now and do whatever it could to keep the image of the game and its identity clean unlike the Indian Premier League which is running from bad to worse by the hour?