Srini’s latest move: Get ICC post ratified

NEW DELHI: At a time when the Supreme Court has virtually closed all doors on N Srinivasan to contest the Cricket Board’s elections on March 2, the BCCI’s president-in-abeyance is still not willing to go down without a fight, even if that means violating the Apex Court’s adverse orders on him.

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26

At a time when the Supreme Court has virtually closed all doors on N Srinivasan to contest the Cricket Board’s elections on March 2, the BCCI’s president-in-abeyance is still not willing to go down without a fight, even if that means violating the Apex Court’s adverse orders on him.

Despite the tongue-lashing he received at the hands of the Special Apex Court bench, which has only directed the BCCI to hold elections within the six weeks without Srinivasan, the Tamil Nadu-strongman has brazenly gone ahead to set the agenda for the Board’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on coming Monday. The BCCI AGM notice, circulated to all its members on February 8, has an item on the agenda (Item No.12) which clearly shows that Srinivasan is trying to get ratification for his ICC chairmanship. “To appoint the Board’s representative on the International Cricket Conference and/or similar conferences”, says the agenda circulated to all Board members.

Srinivasan knows that his days in the BCCI are numbered after he was barred by the SC from contesting the Board elections until he gives up commercial interests in the sport. And with former Union Minister and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Sharad Pawar also likely to announce his candidature for the Board’s top post in the next 24 hours, Srinivasan has only found himself increasingly isolated inside the BCCI.

The last-ditch effort by Srinivasan could likely be seen as an exercise to at least hold on to his position in the ICC by getting the chairmanship ratified through his loyalists in the BCCI — read acting president Shivlal Yadav, secretary Sanjay Patel and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary.

Insiders in the Pawar camp told The Tribune that the first thing for them after winning the BCCI’s elections would be to send a letter to the ICC withdrawing Srinivasan’s name as their representative in the world body. Another source informed that there could be a situation where former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya may forward his candidature for the top ICC post in return of offering his unconditional support to Pawar in the BCCI elections.

When all his efforts to retain his BCCI top post got defeated in the Court, Srinivasan has decided to take one last chance of saving his ICC post by getting ratification by the old body of his loyalists. “This is a well thought-out gameplan by Srinivasan to retain his place in ICC for next one year at least,” said a BCCI official. Srinivasan was confident that his appointment, which needed ratification by the BCCI General Body, would hardly face any opposition during the AGM slated for last week of September 2014. But, Apex court directions to postpone BCCI elections upset all his calculations.

Srinivasan is expected to meet his supporters in Chennai on Friday to propose the names of Yadav or Patel for Board president’s post. Both are considered close confidantes of Srinivasan and, if elected, could serve as his “proxy”.

“We would request the SC that no other agenda should be allowed to take up except elections by the old body. This particular item seems to be a clear violation of the Court orders,” said CAB Secretary Aditya Verma.