The big story: BCCI units to fight against ‘undesirable’ policy changes

Several units of the Board of Control for Cricket in India are planning to unite against some of the “undesirable” policy changes that the International Cricket Council, led by Shashank Manohar, has planned to implement, reported the Times of India. The report added that a meeting has been planned by two state association members, both of whom are eligible under the Lodha Committee reforms.

“Cricket infrastructure that state associations have invested in over decades is not a result of government grants. The government has not given BCCI a single penny. On the other hand, BCCI has made contributions to the exchequer. If BCCI loses ground at the ICC, it means the state associations stand to lose out as a result,” the members were quoted as saying. The stage has been set for a revolt, “Expect it to happen as soon as possible,” a member said.

Other top stories

Cricket

  • Indian skipper Virat Kohli heaped praise on Bangladesh and singled out their exploits in New Zealand recently. The 28-year-old said that the Tigers can grow into a competitive Test outfit too if they get to play five-day cricket on a consistent basis. “I think they have the skill they just don’t play that many Test matches to gain confidence as a squad. It’s very basic. They have become a very good one-day side because of the fact that they play so many ODIs and they have their set combinations,” Kohli said. 
  • The Indian women’s team beat Thailand by nine wickets in the second match of their Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Colombo on Wednesday. Thailand were bowled out for only 55 in 29.1 overs after they won the toss and opted to bat. India chased down the target in just 12.4 overs.   
  • India’s Under-19 team and its support staff, which includes coach Rahul Dravid,is yet to get their daily allowance for their ongoing home series against England from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, reported the Indian Express on Wednesday.  
  • Former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has advised his country’s bowlers to not give India “any easy runs” during the Border-Gavaskar series, which begins at the end of the month.
  • With India being spoilt for choice in the middle order with the emergence of Karun Nair, Kohli has thrown his weight behind Ajinkya Rahane. “Karun Nair did well but we cannot ignore what Ajinkya Rahane has done over the past two years,” Kohli was quoted as saying. 
  • Fresh from relinquishing his captaincy, England’s Alastair Cook slammed the England Cricket Board for deserting him during the Kevin Pietersen saga. “It was obviously a big part of my captaincy. I felt like it wasn’t handled particularly well by the ECB. I know I was the lightning rod for it, every person thought it was my decision. I felt I bore the brunt of that, unfairly in my personal opinion. They hung me out to dry,” the 32-year-old said. 
  • Former Australian pace Rodney Hogg opined that Sir Don Bradman wouldn’t have been as successful in modern-day cricket, “It’s disrespectful, but those stats jumped at me that it was easier to bat between 1920 and 1950, than what it is now. Sir Donald Bradman was a freak, but I don’t think he would have averaged 99 [99.94] now,” Hogg was quoted as saying.

Football

  • English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke promised to improve the body’s governance. “Our governance needs changing. We do need to be more diverse, more open about decision-making and we do need to better represent those playing the game. But we are not sitting idly by,” Clarke said in an FA statement.  
  • I-League club Chennai City FC have parted ways with chief coach Robin Charles Raja, reportedSportstar on Wednesday. The club has had a poor start to their first season in the I-League, losing five of their seven matches this season and are currently bottom of the table.  
  • Rising Student’s Club became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the inaugural edition of the Indian Women’s League on Wednesday. RSC romped to a 7-0 win against Jeppiaar IT FC.  
  • Bayern Munich skipper Philipp Lahm has announced that he will hang up his boots at the end of the season. The 33-year-old made the announcement following Bayern’s win over Wolfsburg in the last-16 stage of the German Cup on Tuesday. “I can continue with my leadership style, giving my best every day, in every training, until the end of the season. I can keep doing it this season but not beyond,” Lahm said. 
  • Former France defender Marcel Desailly has urged Chelsea skipper John Terry to try his luck elsewhere in order to land first-team opportunities.  
  • Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri was confident that he can lead his side to calmer waters once he negotiates the “sharks” at the club. “Now there are a lot of sharks, and I am on the windsurfer,” Ranieri said. The reigning champions are languishing just above the relegation zone.

Athletics

  • Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba ran the fastest ever women’s 2,000 metres at the indoor Miting Internacional de Catalunya meeting in Sabadell, Spain, on Tuesday. She beat Romania’s Gabriela Szabo’s record from 1998, finishing the race in five minutes 23.75 seconds. Dibaba beat Szabo’s previous indoor world record of 5:30.53 set by a whopping seven seconds. 

Badminton

  • Badminton legend Lee Chong Wei lambasted the way he has allegedly been treated by the Badminton Association of Malaysia, singling out Morten Frost particularly for handling the injury the 34-year-old is currently nursing. “I’ve lost my patience with Morten. This injury is the last straw. What’s even more hurtful was the way Morten handled my injury. Instead of asking about my condition, he asked my coach whether I would retire... why? Doesn’t he want me to play on? I’m hurt,” Lee was quoted as saying.

Shooting

  • Olympic Bronze-medallist Gagan Narang stated that the “ecosystem” of shooting would change with three of the events being scrapped for the Tokyo 2020 games. The International Shooting Sport Federation panel has proposed to replace the double-trap men’s event with a mixed-gender trap event, and to convert the 50m prone men’s event into a mixed-gender air rifle event, and the 50m pistol men’s event into a mixed-gender air pistol event.