RISING STARS: Dinesh Kaarthick and Gautam Gambhir have done well in the Tests and should find a place in the Contract list for 2005-06.

MUMBAI: The face-off at Kolkata on September 22 and 23 succinctly described by the Calcutta High Court as a fight between "two warring groups virtually interested in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) affairs'' has impeded the main executive functions of the BCCI.

The adjourned AGM has created uncertainty as to whether the BCCI President Ranbir Singh Mahendra would constitute a committee to review the Players' Contract that ushered in a semblance of professionalism into Indian cricket last winter.

The Players' Contract got automatically terminated on Friday.

The impasse at Kolkata has also prevented the principal office-bearers of the BCCI/ Tour Programmes & Fixtures/the Working Committee from considering the International Cricket Council's revised six year international programme recommended by its CEO's at a meeting held in Dubai in August.

The Presidents of the full members of the ICC are expected to submit separate reports at the ICC Executive Board meeting scheduled during the Johnnie Walker Super Series in Australia.

Important issues

The two issues — Players' Contract for 2005-06 and the BCCI's report on the ICC's revised six year schedule — are of vital importance as both are directly related to the players welfare; one with regard to the retainership to be paid to them and two with regard to the number of bilateral series, ICC, Asian Cricket Council and Afro-Asian promoted cricket they can play over a period of six years up to 2011.

The BCCI has to take up the Players' Contract issue urgently because the team's commitments start with a five-match home series against Sri Lanka on October 25.

Last year, a BCCI committee consisting of the then BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya, Secretary S.K. Nair, coach John Wright and Chairman of selectors Kiran More enlisted 17 players in three groups.

The players signed on the dotted line in November 2004 at Kolkata during the Test match against South Africa after Harbhajan and Zaheer exerted pressure to reduce the gap between the three groups from Rs. 60 lakhs to Rs. 50 lakhs for the top end group and splitting Rs. 10 lakhs between Group `B' and Group `C' players.

Benchmark

It had taken almost two and half years for Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Kumble to give shape to the final draft that recommended a benchmark of three Tests or ten one-day internationals and Rs. 60 lakhs, Rs. 30 lakhs and Rs. 15 lakhs for players put in three groups.

The contract was to be executed before the Indian team's departure to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup.

But once the likes of Harbhajan and Khan pressed for an eleventh-hour change in Group `A' retainership, everything got delayed and the BCCI could go ahead with the first Players' Contract only after the team returned, after playing a tri-series in Holland, and the NatWest Challenge and Champions Trophy in England.

Three of the four architects of the contract, Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble were reportedly upset at the change and told the BCCI that they will have no role to play and were withdrawing from further negotiations.

With the framework in place and the players' performance known over the contractual period, the BCCI, assuming that it would follow the `three Test/10 ODI' criteria, should not take more than a sitting or two to identify the players.

Those who could come into the reckoning are: Gautam Gambhir (10 Tests, 2 ODIs), M.S. Dhoni (19 ODIs) and Dinesh Kaarthick (10 Tests, 2 ODIs).

The ECB has an `England Development Squad' with 12 players offered a contract and 13 non-contracted players working with different coaches.

Cricket Australia usually offers contracts to 25 players. The BCCI has set an upper limit of 20 players, but will Mr. Ranbir Singh name the committee before going to Australia for the ICC Executive Board meeting?

And will he also include Greg Chappell in the important committee?

Probably, Mr. Ranbir Singh may wait until convening the BCCI's 76th AGM by November 30, and the outcome of the election.

In any case Chappell and the chairman of selectors are likely to be in the committee.

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