Go Figure!

After 75 years, the Indian cricket board has finally decided to dump the system of having national selectors working on an “honorary” basis - starting this year-end. From October 1, the present team of five selectors, led by former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, will get Rs 50,000 per Test and Rs 25,000 per one-day international they attend. However, this is a temporary arrangement, till Vengsarkar’s team completes its tenure by September 2008 - one of the five selectors, Sanjay Jagdale, finishes his term this year. After that the BCCI hopes to have in place an annual retainership package for selectors who would no longer be elected, but appointed by an experts’ panel. Currently, the selectors get a blanket “fee” of Rs 5,000 per day - for every match, if it’s a one-day game - and an overall compensation of Rs 7,000 towards “incidental expenses” for every assignment, Test or one-day. For domestic matches, the “TA/DA” system will continue, for now.

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The BCCI and the media need better interaction

The BCCI's decision not to allow the Chairman of Selectors to interact with the media after a Selection Committee meeting was inevitable after what happened recently. When the Chairman is asked whether it was personal enmity that led to a certain omission, then the BCCI would naturally say "Enough is enough," and see that the Chairman or, for that matter, any selector, is not subjected to such an ordeal.

BCCI’s guidelines to the selectors

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked the five national selectors to strictly adhere to a seven-point guideline

Indian board seeks to squeeze the selectors

The shadow-boxing between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the national selectors has escalated with the Indian board issuing a seven-point diktat that seeks to curtail the jurisdiction of the selectors. While the move is widely seen to be aimed at reining in Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of the selectors, there are provisions, particularly the one banning selectors from accompanying the team on foreign tours, that have caused dismay among his colleagues.

BCCI, selectors on collision course

The Indian cricket board's attempt to gag the national selectors has reached a flashpoint. An immediate solution may not emerge soon enough, but the board and the five wise men are clearly on collision course.

Gag Sunny, Ravi too: selectors

The war of words over the BCCI gag order on selectors continues. Within days of the Indian Board putting a full stop to chairman Dilip Vengsarkar’s newspaper columns, comes a counter. It is learnt that the selectors have contended that the gag should be applied to all the former cricketers who are in the BCCI fold.

Mutiny?

In an unprecedented revolt against the cricket board’s policy to ban national selectors from writing columns, three selectors yesterday threatened to quit their posts if the BCCI persisted with the gag order

Gaekwad, More flay BCCI

Former BCCI selection committee chairman Kiran More and Aunshuman Gaekwad have come down heavily on the BCCI for issuing guidelines for selectors.

Selectors upset, but not quitting

The national selectors are upset with some of the decisions recently taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), but none has threatened to resign as was the talk late on Monday.

Rajput ruled out for Australia tour

Even as the BCCI debates over who the next full-time head coach would be, atleast one candidate could soon be out of the reckoning. Interim cricket manager Lalchand Rajput has been handed a letter 're-appointing' him as the coach of the Indian U-19 team by the BCCI. Rajput's term will be effective from December 20 till the end of the U-19 World Cup in March, 2008.

Selectors fume at BCCI gag order

Confirming the guidelines, board secretary Niranjan Shah told HT: “It is only to have a system... And make sure they follow domestic cricket also properly.” He said if the selectors did not heed the advice, it would be reported to the board president. He did not specify what action would be taken.

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