Testing time for BCCI as D-day approaches

All eyes are on Chennai, the venue for the meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's three-member committee of AC Muthiah, Kamal Morarka and Ram Prasad which is expected to (hopefully) take a final decision on the tainted players in accordance with the Madhavan committee report. Sources close to the BCCI chief said on Monday that the meeting was likely to take place on Tuesday.

But going by the recent outbursts of Morarka, the BCCI vice-president, the meeting tomorrow could be a non-starter. Morarka has come down heavily on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and this has put the BCCI in great deal of embarrassment.

Talking to a website, Morarka said that the CBI's findings is similar to a 'prostitute's diary' and described the report as a 'big joke.' "What is the credibility of such a report?" Morarka asked adding that "It is like a prostitute's diary. You will find names of so many rich and famous people there. How does a set of names in a bookie's diary matter?"

In a blistering attack on India's premier agency, AFP quoting Morarka said "I sincerely believe that there is no organisation in India that is as corrupt as the CBI. He added "the corrupt" CBI had not been able to prove the match-fixing charges against the players. All they have concluded is that match-fixing exists in cricket. So what is this great thing that they have done? Everybody knew that match-fixing exists in cricket."

Disassociating himself from the statement, Muthiah said it was his (Morarka) personal opinion, while a CBI spokesman refused to comment on the BCCI vice president's outburst, except to say it had enough evidence against the cricketers to nail them.

Talking to PTI on Sunday, Muthiah gave a stern warning that "I will be fair, but strict in deciding on the punishments to the five cricketers. The judgement would be based as per the findings of BCCI's anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan. I have the authority to decide and I will not be cowed down. The Board's decision would be announced in a couple of days time."

Muthiah said the delay in the decision was because the board was seeking a legal opinion before meting out punishment. He said "As president, I have to safeguard the Board's interests. I had to seek legal opinion before deciding on taking any action on the indicted players."

The BCCI which held a special general body meeting in Calcutta last week to discuss both the CBI and the Madhavan committee report is expected to decide the quantum of punishment on Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Nayan Mongia and Ajay Sharma, who have been named in the CBI report on match-fixing and betting on their alleged involvement in the scandal.

Meanwhile, the chairman of selectors Chandu Borde said he was unaware of the remarks made by Muthiah that the selectors erred in having Nikhil Chopra in the one-day squad. The Delhi player has been alleged to be involved in the scandal though he has been cleared in the CBI report.

Talking to reporters in Ahmedabad, Borde said that he had neither read the report nor heard Muthiah's reaction on the selectors decision. Borde added "I will be meeting the board secretary Jaywant Lele tomorrow and then discuss it with him before I say anything to the media as I don't want to create any misunderstandings." When quizzed whether the remark puts him under pressure, Borde said "I don't want to put my neck in. Let me speak to Lele tomorrow and then decide as I have not got direct communications from the board and it is always the secretary who communicates with the selection committee."

Earlier, Muthiah said that it was an 'error' on the part of the national selectors in having picked Chopra for the one-day matches against Zimbabwe as there was a 'technical problem' in allowing him to play for the country. "I came to know of Chopra's inclusion through newspapers while on a flight from Chennai to New Delhi," he said. The BCCI chief added that "Though I felt sorry for Chopra for such an action, as BCCI President I had to safeguard the interests of the Board. Therefore, his omission was necessary." His final word on the players who have been named in the report was " No player who has been found guilty or mentioned by CBI can represent the country."

Meanwhile, the Minister for State for Sports Pon. Radhakrishnan reiterated the Government's stand in New Delhi on Sunday that the centre has no move to take over the BCCI. Radhakrishnan said that "the government had asked the BCCI to offer its comments on various aspects of the CBI match-fixing report, including the observations made by the agency on the Board's functioning."

In a related development, the Sri Lankan investigator Desmond Fernando who is probing the bribe charges made in the CBI report on two Sri Lankan players Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, has sought the help of the Indian High Commission to have a meeting with alleged bookie Mukesh Gupta alias MK. Fernando said he has written to the Indian authorities in Colombo to permit him to meet Gupta at the earliest to cross examine him on his allegations against Ranatunga and De Silva