Hyderabad:Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) former office-bearers, including ex-president Arshad Ayub, ex-secretaries T. Shesh Narayan and K John Manoj, urged newly elected secretary M. Jeevan Reddy to convene the annual general meeting (AGM) immediately. Under the banner of ‘Cricket First’, they warned that the game was taking a severe beating as administrators were prioritizing non-cricket activities in violation of Supreme Court-approved bylaws.
Ayub, former Test off-spinner, criticsed the HCA for starting the new league season with T20 matches without selectors. “How can selections for state teams happen without selectors watching games,” he asked. “Last year, they were appointed after the start of the league.”
Ayub also criticised the launch of the league in the peak summer. “Two players suffered yesterday and the norms dictate starting by the end of May or early June for player safety,” he noted. He opposed shortening matches from three to two days, terming it “regressive”.
He said that match numbers had plummeted from over 5,000 in 2016 to about 1,000 now due to poor organisation and inexperience. For TG20, he highlighted non-appointment of governing council members, insisting at least two must be elected by the general body at AGM.
Shesh Narayan echoed concerns over TG20’s viability, stating that other state boards had suffered losses and questioned the HCA hiring external consultants over in-house experts. He demanded sanctioning of development funds for clubs, key stakeholders providing state players and vehicle passes for IPL matches. He also questioned the denial of passes for the media. He also said the Supreme Court had approved the expansion of the Apex Council but the HCA had not undertaken it.
John Manoj warned that the “damaged system” could become irreparable and urged that the HCA utilise the services of experienced international or first-class cricketers in advisory roles without honorarium.
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