The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : `Player-agent nexus ruining Indian cricket'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Cricket

`Player-agent nexus ruining Indian cricket'

Former BCCI chiefs suggest that the captain should be left out of the selection process

Chennai: Three former BCCI Presidents on Tuesday claimed that player-agent nexus regarding endorsements was ruining Indian cricket and called for stern measures to check the menace in the wake of the World Cup debacle.

The former Presidents said the captain should be left out of the selection process to make sure personal endorsements did not affect the team's performance.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the former Board chiefs said that players' agents had come to have a negative influence on team selections by way of leveraging their hold on the captain or senior players.

``During my tenure as President, there was only one or two players involved in advertisements but not on a larger basis. At the same time, I had information that the players' agents were instrumental in undeserving cricketers getting picked for tours,'' he told.

Modus operandi

Elaborating on the typical modus operandi of an agent, the former official said, ``he charges 30 per cent commission on total contract. He enrols a senior player, who has a say in selection and then ropes in other players (for advertisement) and shares his 30 per cent with the concerned senior player in exchange for the inclusion of the other players named by him (agent) in the team.''

He also suggested that the captain should be allowed only to place his views about team requirements and not be made a part of the discussion in the selection committee meeting.

Another former BCCI President said that following the World Cup debacle, it was the right opportunity for the Board to take the bold step.

The third ex-President also shared the view. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport