From rxpgnews.com
Indian cricket board cracks down on players' income
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS,
Apr 7, 2007 - 8:05:17 PM
Mumbai, April 7 - The Indian cricket board Saturday came down heavily on players following the World Cup disaster, restricting their income from advertisements, and announcing that the national selection committees would be reconstituted with 'full-time' selectors from next year.
Following its working committee meeting, the Board of Control for Cricket in India - announced a series of measures curtailing players' income from the game, including the decision to scrap their graded payment system, while retaining a basic retainership amount. The details are to be worked out.
'It has been decided to scrap the present zonal representation in the senior and junior selection committees. The BCCI will appoint the selectors on a full-time basis based upon the eligibility criteria that would include the stature as players, selection experience etc.,' said BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan at a packed press conference at the BCCI headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium.
'They will get suitable remuneration and appointed for a two-year term. The BCCI will take steps to propose necessary amendments to the constitution to give effect to this decision from 2008-2009,' he said, referring to the two separate meetings held with seven former India captains and with coach Greg Chappell and captain Rahul Dravid here Friday. The details were not announced.
These suggestions had emerged from those meetings and the working committee took the decisions based on them, said Srinivasan.
The BCCI also put a tight cap on players' endorsements and snatched away the 'exclusivity' tag for signing media contracts. Now, the BCCI will whet commercial contracts before players can sign them.
'A player will endorse not more than three products. No sponsor can contract more than two players,' said Srinivasan.
'Players will not be allowed to do any sponsor related events 15 days before the tour and also during the tour,' he said.
All these measures are largely a result of the Dravid-led Indian team's first-round exit from the World Cup in the West Indies, after losing two of the three matches in their group. One repercussion of the debacle was the exit of Chappell, after he decided not to renew his contract that expired with the World Cup.
Srinivasan said that no player would have exclusive contracts with electronic/print media once their present contracts expired. 'Only the captain can write a column or talk to the media but that too not exclusively,' he said.
'Players shall take prior approval of the board before signing any endorsement contract and will submit a copy of the agreement to the board. All the players shall submit a copy of the existing contracts with sponsors to the board.'
Srinivasan announced that Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh would be asked to explain their recent comments in the media. He, however, did not say if they would be asked to do so orally or in writing.
'Notices will be issued to Tendulkar and Yuvraj under Rule 38 of the Memorandum and the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, asking them for an explanation for their comments made in the media,' he said.
But when asked as to what was the punishment for some of the top BCCI officials for their comments that breached the same code of conduct, Srinivasan groped for an answer before coming up with: 'What do you want me to say?'
While the board announced a series of restrictions on the players in the aftermath of the World Cup, Dravid was spared the axe.
'The working committee has directed the selection committee to send a young team to Bangladesh under an experienced captain. And the selection committee after discussions has appointed Dravid as captain for India tour to Bangladesh, Scotland and England,' said Srinivasan.
The Bangladesh tour will be next month and the tour of England and Scotland from July to September.
The board also confirmed, following Friday's reports, that Ravi Shastri would be the 'cricket manager', Venkatesh Prasad the bowling coach and Robin Singh the fielding coach on the tour of Bangladesh.
BCCI said it would do away with home-and-away rotation policy for hosting domestic tournament matches and it would allot venues for Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Ranji Trophy semi-finals and finals and limited overs national knockout tournament.
It will also ask its affiliated units to start their own academies by April 2009. These would be linked to the National Cricket Academy - in Bangalore.
Some more decisions were taken, but the BCCI has made the same announcements so many times before without implementing them.
They are: all Test/One-day International players will be asked to play in all top domestic matches, prepare fast and lively pitches for domestic tournaments, all players to play a stipulated number of domestic tournament matches when not playing for India and regular India 'A' and under-19 teams' tours abroad.
Also, the BCCI will appoint a permanent manager for the Indian team and a permanent media manager, both for two-year terms.
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