Cornered BCCI must adopt reforms

The cleaning up of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is not far now. The end is in sight to the long running issue in which the mandarins of the cricket board, intoxicated by the game’s money power, refused to see the writing on the wall and prolonged their judicial battle against reforms. In this long running saga, which exploded into the public consciousness after the IPL betting scandal surfaced three years ago in which players as well as owners of teams were found betting and fixing matches, it was the hubris of cricket’s administrators which stopped them from recognising the writing on the wall in very large letters. Riled by the dilatory tactics and stunned by the arrogance of BCCI in its defiance in not bowing to the majesty of law as represented by the Supreme Court, the judges, quite ironically, were inclined to use the power of cricket money to make the board and its affiliates see sense.

In an interim order passed on Friday by which BCCI funds are not to be used by the member associations unless they fall in line with the Lodha panel recommended reforms, the top court hit at the very foundation of the board. It is in its capacity to disburse large funds that the BCCI draws unstinting allegiance of its state associations. In pretending it was so democratic as to allow absolute autonomy to all its units, the board exposed itself as a society that was making all excuses possible not to carry out key reforms envisaging limiting office bearer tenures as well as bringing in an age cap of 70 years, one-state-one-vote principle, application of RTI, presence of a CAG or AG representative, etc. A belief in the omnipotence of its key administrators, who are invariably businessmen or politicians exploiting cricket’s popularity, was the board’s biggest failing.

The current chief justice, involved in hearing various applications by the BCCI in the last few years, put it in a nutshell when, in the course of protracted court room drama, he said, “BCCI thinks it is a law unto itself. We know how to get our orders implemented. BCCI thinks it is the lord. You (BCCI) better fall in line or we will make you fall in line. The conduct of the BCCI is in poor taste.” The board president, a ruling party politician, is in the crosshairs too for having resorted to emotional blackmail, including in putting forward as fact ICC backing for the total independence of cricket boards from the government and court interference. The only logic to the cricket board in its current form is those who have ascended to key posts simply wish to cling on to power. The board must see that it has been cornered and must first adopt the reforms before sitting together with the Lodha panel to iron out any difficulties. Transparency is the first ideal to be aimed for in cricket administration involving as it does tonnes of public money.