MUMBAI: In a major concession to the global cricket community, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) indicated Monday it was ready to work with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for the next six months on a trial basis.
Though there was no official statement issued after the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) overseeing the BCCI met International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Shashank Manohar here Monday, IANS, quoting sources in the know of developments, reported that the board was willing to work with NADA for a period of six months, but the agency would be allowed to collect only 10% samples for testing.
Said source told IANS: “The Indian board has agreed to try and work with NADA for the next six months and then decide on the road ahead.
“Trust has been an issue and that needs to be gained with quality work from the agency. The agency will collect only 10% samples for testing.
“The board feels that with the 2022 Commonwealth Games in sight, India would like to field the women’s team in the event at Birmingham and this is a move aimed at that direction.”
While the ICC has decided to remain compliant to the WADA directives, the BCCI has thus far chosen to stand in splendid isolation from other cricket boards on the matter of working with NADA.
ICC CEO David Richardson had spoken last month of the need to get the differences between the BCCI and NADA sorted.
Richardson had said then: “We are trying to help the BCCI sort out the issue with WADA and NADA. We think cricket should be in the 2028 Olympics, but it’s not going to happen unless we are a unified sport.
“At this stage, we need to convince the BCCI that it is a good thing for cricket to be in the Olympics from all aspects.”
However, the BCCI officials present at the last ICC chief executive meeting had made it clear that WADA must name a different testing agency as they “did not trust” NADA.
