Opening Doorz

By Nadim Memon | Opening Doorz Editorial | January 31, 2019

Points to note: Senior selectors should be sacked immediately for Mumbai’s bad performance and their lack of commitment and the unprofessional manner in which players have been treated. These guys have no time to see matches… can you beat that!

Senior players were treated badly by Ajit Agarkar & Co. A case in point is Abhishek Nayar who was removed from the Mumbai Ranji team and not allowed to complete his 100^th First Class match after representing Mumbai for over 12 years. Last year, he represented Ponducherry and completed his 100^th First Class game!

It is high time the Mumbai Crciket Association (MCA) sends out an SOS to all senior cricketers, ex-coaches, former Test players and selectors for a meeting to discuss and strategise the way forward for Mumbai’s cricket which has been a climb down on the graph.

The Mumbai team did not qualify for the Ranji Trophy. Neither did they qualify for the U-23 knock out, while the U-16 and U-19 teams both were knocked out of the Board of Control for India (BCCI) Tournament.

The only solace for the once strong erstwhile Bombay bastion is the U-14 team which is participating in the West Zone tournament, and is still around

Cricket needs planning and we need a think tank of seniors who have played the game of cricket, and administrators who are passionate about the game and not just wanting to ensure they and their families benefit. Tournaments, once begun, should be completed: The Times of India A Division tournament is yet to be completed!

As far as the basic infrastructure is concerned, there is hardly any. The MCA has not bothered to maintain the grounds, nor is there proper development. There is no pavilion, proper drinking water, washrooms or even change rooms for the players.

Azad Maidan has gone with the wind! No MCA member took action to save the various grounds there including Fort Vijay. Out of the 22 plots, only four are now available as the rest is either gone to the Metro Rail Project or is used for Police bandobast.

It’s high time the MCA selectors take responsibility for this embarrassing performance and tender their resignation. They should also take responsibility and resign immediately for ignoring star performers and inducting new faces, with no proper planning.

I would like to ask the following questions:
What was the role of the selectors from the beginning? The senior selectors did not watch a single match. Moreover, they ignored the top performers from the MCA Tournaments: on what basis?

Why did so many from the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) resign?

It’s plain for all to see: Posts were given by MCA Committee members on the basis of their interests, so that their welfare was protected. People who have never played cricket are appointed as managers, while some Committee Members appoint themselves to enjoy the daily allowances and BCCI packages. How cheap!

Here is where we need to improve:
All tournaments organised by the MCA alongwith the playing dates should be announced in advance so that the players and officials know the calendar in advance and plan accordingly.

The MCA-BKC Academy should have good coaches and Administrators who have the interest of the game at heart: preferably, former Test players and people who have been associated with the game.

Selection of players for juniors has to change. Lots of manipulation is being done here. The juniors should also be played on bigger grounds and not on maidans so that we can get better quality of players.

Finally, the MCA Committee should be hauled up and thrown out for ignoring the letter sent by 38 Clubs requesting the sacking of the senior selectors during the start of the season.

(Nadim Memon is a man of the maidans. He is a curator, a sports lover, a cricketer, a footballer and more, importantly a fierce protector of maidans for the younger generation!)

Also Read: To Sir Ramakant Achrekar… with love!