'Not our fault, but we have to suffer'

Wed, Nov 4 05:41 AM

From a distance, the group of Services players sitting in the Cafeteria outside the Harbaksh Stadium seemed like they were on a regular break from a practice session. The break, enforced by the BCCI in the form of a ban for skipping their Ranji Trophy match in Srinagar, however, will cost them a whole season. With it, their plans and aspirations have been put on hold for a year.

The tension was evident, as was the uncertainty on the faces, but there was every attempt to conceal it. The team had assembled for a training session early in the morning, but it was deferred to the afternoon because the wicket was too wet to play on. They had been asked to prepare for their next match against Andhra Pradesh, but the news of the ban reduced their plans to a farce. The media was greeted by a strict no-comment policy — no video footage was allowed, and no entry was granted inside the stadium to anyone other than the team's support staff.

"We are here to play cricket. It wasn't out decision not to play in Srinagar, but we have to pay for it. We never thought the repercussions will be so big," a player, who did not wish to be named, said.

"What will we practice for when we're not going to play a single match in the season? Can anybody focus at the nets knowing his team has been banned? It's even worse for the debutants," another senior player added.

Cause and effects

A ban for the Ranji Trophy season will also hit the Services players financially, with the BCCI match fees accounting for a fair chunk of their earnings. Each player earns close to Rs 40,000 per four-day game from the BCCI, apart from bonuses, and Services would have played a minimum of four matches in the Plate Division, and a maximum of nine for the season.

But the players insist they are not thinking about the money right now.

Several returns to the limelight were planned for this season, and the side were determined to bounce back from after a dismal performance in the board's recent Twenty20 tournament, where they lost all their matches.

"A lot of hard work was put in because the Ranji Trophy is the base for everything. A few of us were eyeing IPL contracts, but we will now have to restart everything after a year," the player said.

The team will reassemble on Tuesday morning for another practice session, with some players hoping that the BCCI changes its mind.

"Maybe there will be some sort of reconciliation in the interest of the players," another player said. "Perhaps we can play the match later, and in Srinagar."

Services won't let Delhi use Palam ground

New Delhi: Hours after being banned for the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy season, Services withdrew its offer of letting out the Palam ground to the Delhi Ranji team for their home matches, leaving the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) look for a last-minute replacement for the game against Karnataka from November 10-13.

Delhi were scheduled to play two other home matches at the Palam ground due to concerns over the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch's ability to last for a four-day match, and because it is slated to host an India v Sri Lanka one-day match in the middle of the domestic calendar. The DDCA has now been forced to go back to the Roshanara Club ground, which the team management was not happy with because of the placid track.

The Mohan Meakins ground in Ghaziabad is being looked at as an alternative for the later matches. Interestingly, the DDCA had also offered to take the Palam ground under its wing for upgradation, with the BCCI agreeing to fund the project since it cannot directly give financial assistance to government institutions. (ENS)

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