MUMBAI: About the only thing that gets the attention of the people who matter in the world’s richest cricket board is? No prizes for guessing – money!
The latest “proof of premise” (if any were needed) relates to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s position on cricket in the Olympics. Now it is well known that while the International Cricket Council wants T20 cricket to be included in the Olympics from the 2024 edition, the BCCI has remained decidedly cool to the game becoming an Olympic sport.
So where’s the problem? It is the fact that, as New Indian Express reports, the ICC has sent out a questionnaire to its member boards, seeking their opinion on matters like potential financial support from their governments if the game were to be included in the Olympics.
November 2 was the last date of sending replies, which will be assessed in the next ICC Board meeting later this month. So has there been any change in the BCCI’s position. This way or that, has it been conveyed to the ICC.
Such courtesies are not not high on the BCCI’s priority list, it would seem, because till Tuesday, BCCI’s Apex Council members reportedly could offer no information on the subject.
“I have not been informed of any decision taken by BCCI regarding cricket in the Olympics. It’s possible that the president (Sourav Ganguly) and secretary (Jay Shah) have decided something and will update the Apex Council later. It’s not that the BCCI president or secretary need our permission. Just that they should convey these decisions to the Apex Council,” an Apex Council member told NIE.
That the Apex Council has not discussed the matter is clear. As for Ganguly and Shah, if either or both have given the subject any thought, SportzPower would be pleasantly surprised.
