India-Australia ODI shifted from Jaipur

Mumbai:

The bitter feud in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) on Thursday prompted the BCCI to shift the opening ODI in the best-of-seven series between India and Australia, scheduled at Jaipur on October 25, to Vadodara.

"We have shifted the first ODI from Jaipur to Vadodara," BCCI president Shashank Manohar told reporters after the Board's 80th AGM here.

The Board condoled the death of Raj Singh Dungarpur, who died earlier this month, and has decided to name the newly introduced Corporate Trophy in the former BCCI president's name, Manohar said.

"It was also decided to set up the BCCI's umpires Academy at Nagpur to train umpires," said Manohar who has commenced the second year of his three-year term as the Board's chief.

Manohar also said that the BCCI's contract with event management firm IMG, whose service was terminated leading to protest letters from seven Indian Premier League franchise owners to the Board, has been re-negotiated.

"We would be paying IMG Rs 27 crore per year (as compare to Rs 43 crore in 2008 and Rs 33 crore in 2009). The deal is for ten years starting 2008," the Board chief said.

Manohar also sounded a warning to the franchises by saying the Board would not tolerate any more interference in its affairs.

"There were reports about franchises having written letters to the Board (following termination notice sent by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan). They have no right to interfere in the internal matters of the Board. Such a thing will not be tolerated by the Board," Manohar said sternly.

The Board chief also rubbished media reports of an internal wrangle between its secretary Srinivasan and IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi, who is also one of the BCCI's five vice presidents, and said both played a key role in renegotiating the terms with the IMG.

"Media reports saying there was a dispute between N Srinivasan and Lalit Modi is not correct. They both helped me in the negotiations with IMG," Manohar said.

The senior selection panel headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth was retained for another year while the junior panel, with the exception of Chairman Sanjeev Sharma who has completed his term, also remains the same, according to Manohar.

Manohar said the Board's revenue took a hit in the fiscal ending March 31 due to the cancellation of two ODIs against England, the Champions T20 League and the visit to Pakistan in 2008-09 in the aftermath of the terrorist strike in Mumbai.

"The amount (loss of revenue) is Rs 130 crore," Manohar said. The surplus for the year, as per the Board's balance sheet, showed only Rs 54 crore as compared to the budgeted one of Rs 233 crore.

The BCCI chief refused to comment on the controversial dossier given to all the members of the Indian team in South Africa by coach Gary Kirsten and which includes advice on sexual issues, for excelling in cricket.

"I don't want to comment on it at all," he said. Manohar took a dig at ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat who had pointed an accusing finger at the BCCI and England and Wales Cricket Board for the world Test championships impasse.

He said the proposal for a world Test championships was rejected by ICC Board members as a whole.

"The Test championship proposal was rejected by the ICC Executive Board," he said, but refused to reveal further what happened in the ICC meetings in this regard.

On the controversial "whereabouts" clause of ICC's WADA-compliant Anti-Doping Code, Manohar said the considered opinion of legal luminaries Soli Sorabji, Fali Nariman and Ghulam Vahanvati was that it was against the fundamental right to privacy guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

"We have the opinion of Soli Sorabji, Fali Nariman and Ghulam Vahanvati. All of them clearly say such a clause asking for whereabouts is invalid and violates the fundamental rights of the citizens," Manohar said.

The BCCI has supported its players who have refused to sign the Code after expressing their opposition to this clause citing infringement of privacy and security concerns.

As per the "whereabouts" clause, all the players in the International Registered Testing Pool need to give their locations for three months in advance.

Failure to comply with the provisions of the clause would lead to a two-year ban from the game.

The ICC is set to discuss the issue at its meeting in South Africa next month, Manohar said.

He also said that the Board would deal with the players' contract, which ends on September 30, once the Indian squad returns home from the ICC Champions Trophy.