Sameer Dighe becomes new Mumbai selector

Mumbai:

Former India wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe was on Wednesday appointed as one of the two new selectors of Mumbai by Sunil Gavaskar-led Cricket Improvement Committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association.

Dighe and ex-Mumbai off spinner Kiran Mokashi replaced Shishir Hattangadi, who resigned midway last season, and ex India pacer Abey Kuruvilla, who had completed his term, in the four-member seniors selection panel.

The panel will be headed by former Mumbai left arm spinner Padmakar Shivalkar with ex-Mumbai swing bowler Abdul Ismail completing the line-up.

Pravin Amre, who guided Mumbai to their 38th Ranji Trophy crown last season, continues as the coach.

Gavaskar, whose appointment to the post after his near two-decade-long hiatus from Mumbai cricket affairs had been criticised in some quarters, made the three-and-a-half-hour meeting count fully, sources in the panel said.

Gavaskar shot down the suggestion of the Times Shield tournament authorities to cut down the three-day event to a two-day affair and went into the merits and demerits of each and every member of the selection panels, including for juniors, they said.

"The committee has also decided to hike the emoluments of the support staff of all the teams by 30 per cent," they said, which means Amre's emoluments would go up to Rs 15.6 lakh per annum.

The meeting was attended by all the members of the committee barring MCA's vice presidents Vilasrao Deshmukh and Dilip Vengsarkar and president Sharad Pawar.

All these recommendations would now have to be vetted by the MCA Managing Committee headed by Pawar.