A FEW days ago I received a rare press release from Cricket South Africa (CSA) in these times of tightly packed international schedule and players’ muted protests over alarming increase in getting burn out. The release said: “CSA’s nationally contracted players are now on a well deserved holiday break and will not be required to do media work for a reasonable period of time.”
No, it is not the South Africans’ commitments towards the media that is to be noted. The significant message in the release is that even today, when most cricket administrators are yearning for a 730-day year, instead of 365, so that they could squeeze in as many series as possible in return for more and more lucre, CSA has managed to give its players some thoroughly deserved rest. In that sense, the CSA statement is unusual but soothing to the collective bodies of the players and the few connoisseurs left in the game.
For several years, almost all cricket administrators have been pretending and ‘debating’ that there is ‘too much international cricket’. But sadly nothing has been done to follow their concerns with action. On the contrary, the international schedule has been getting tighter and tighter by the year and the same set of officials is responsible for this. And, I am sure, when the International Cricket Council (ICC) finalises the next Future Tours Programme (FTP) soon, players will find out that they will have even lesser time to spend with their families. It is a hard reality, no matter how much concern ICC or its member countries show over ‘too much cricket’ being played currently. After all, they are the same people who chalk out the schedules.
Player injuries are getting more and more frequent due to excess cricket. But who cares? National cricket boards have been defending the international itinerary and are getting bolder. They have even started saying that those players who feel tired or fatigued due to excess cricket are free to opt out of selection. Now this attitude is alarming, to say the least. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already said this on record when the fatigue debate cropped up following India’s abysmal performance at the recent Twenty20 World Cup in England. I won’t be surprised if the other boards start emulating BCCI.
The ICC is making noises that seemingly convey their concern over tight schedules. But if you dig deep, it is the world governing body that has allowed the international schedule spill out of control to fit its own ‘events’ in the itinerary. The ICC already has three ‘events’ for men – the 50-over World Cup, the Twenty20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy – while there are others for the non Test playing nations and under-19 level. The world body does not want these events to be affected at any cost. But the repercussion is reflected in the FTP, because a lot of days are consumed by these ICC-owned tournaments.
BCCI’s increasing clout
Since successfully proposing Bangladesh’s entry into Test cricket in 2000, the BCCI has treated the neighbouring nation like an untouchable. The BCCI has deemed it fit to play only five Test matches over three series against Bangladesh in more than eight and half years! In fact, successive BCCI presidents – starting with Jagmohan Dalmiya, who proposed Bangladesh’s entry into Test fold as ICC president, to Ranbir Singh Mahendra to Sharad Pawar — have not deemed it fit to schedule a single Test against Bangaldesh on Indian soil so far. It is because a series against Bangladsh does not attract big-spending sponsors and advertisers and television rights for an India-Bangladesh series is probably hard to sell. But I don’t subscribe to that view. If BCCI’s marketing gurus act sincerely they can sell this series too.
And what has ICC done to correct this huge anomaly and disrespect shown by the BCCI to a fellow Test-playing nation? Nothing – because if it would have done anything it would have surely reflected in the FTP.
Even previously, BCCI had shown blatant disregard to the FTP. And the most affected countries happen to be neighbouring ones. When the Sri Lankan team played a Test series in India in 2005 it was after nine long years that the islanders were playing Test cricket here!! And since 2005 there has been no series with them (they are scheduled to play three Tests at the end of the year). Who is to blame for this mess? It is not that Sri Lanka has been a pariah like Pakistan for BCCI because in those nine years the Indian team visited Sri Lanka many times, mainly to play one-day series/triangulars and a few Tests.
Here is another proof of BCCI’s increasing clout. Pakistan Cricket Board has protested that India has not included any series with Pakistan in its draft FTP post-2012. Although one might argue that the new FTP has not been finalised as yet, it is clear that the Indian and Pakistani boards are no more close ‘friends’ as they used to be. It will be interesting to see what stand the ICC takes in this regard. Will it allow BCCI to shun PCB on the pretext of security concerns or will it force the BCCI to include bilateral series with Pakistan, even if that is at a neutral venue? BCCI will obviously cite the prevailing political situation in Pakistan and the security concerns for not playing in Pakistan. But neutral venues can be a viable option.
The FTP entails every one of the 10 Test playing nation will play the other on home and away basis at least once in a six-year cycle. But, as we have seen over the years, the BCCI has shown no respect at all for the FTP and the ICC is turning a blind eye to this like a powerless entity. One major factor for ICC’s eerie silence is because most of its commercial revenue comes from Indian companies — and the BCCI plays a role in that area too. So, effectively the ICC cannot go against the BCCI’s wishes or the way it acts and behaves.
