It’s bad enough that those associated with the Indian Cricket League are treated like pariahs, but the treatment that BCCI metes out to all those remotely connected with the ICL borders on the neurotic and is now actually snatching from many their basic right to livelihood. Many scribes in the cricket news both abroad and even in India and are now up in arms against the thuggish behavior of Big Bully BCCI.

The BCCI is seen to have systematically and vindictively ruined the career of Kiwi bowler Shane Bond, which has justly earned it the ire of many in international cricket. It is bad enough that all ICL players are banned from representing their country in international cricket now the BCCI has gone a step further in presuming to have the right to decide who will commentate in live cricket matches!

This may sound unbelievable, but the BCCI has actually showed the unmitigated gall to dictate who will commentate in the currently ongoing test series between India and New Zealand. How absurd it even sounds that the BCCI wants to bar someone from merely commentating on a test match because of his association with the rebel league as they are doing with Craig McMillan, because he had the temerity to be associated with the ICL.

The BCCI’s stance on McMillan is just one more in a series of extreme over reactions against the ICL, which as a competitive counterpoint to the IPL need not be looked upon with such animosity and disfavour. In fact the fact that Kapil Dev is associated with the ICL has resulted in a veritable witch hunt of that stalwart of Indian cricket.

And the BCCI has now given up all pretense of having anything closer to its heart than money.  The manner in which government’s time and resources are being squandered on the keeping alive the chances of holding the IPL, international cricket’s biggest money spinner, are amazing. It is only the immense political clout that the BCCI and its office bearers wield that a mere business venture is being given so much time and attention.  

So any pretense the BCCI has of being in a position of moral or any other superiority is clearly a sham. The BCCI’s only concern seems to be to make and guard its billions and to make everyone do its bidding by cracking the whip. The BCCI’s bullying is a sad reflection on all Indians right now.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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