Former Indian and Mumbai captain Dilip Vengsarkar has lashed out at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for its lethargic approach in the appointment of coaches and selectors for the upcoming 2020-2021 season.
While almost all the associations have already started the process to appoint their coaches and selectors amid the ongoing nation-wide COVID-19 lockdown, the MCA has still not named the all-important Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) which is responsible for these appointments.
Read Also: Wasim Jaffer named Uttarakhand’s new head coach for 2020-21 domestic season
According to the rules, the CIC is appointed by the Annual General Meeting (AGM), but holding the AGM looks impossible in the present Coronavirus situation in the country.
Vengsarkar, who was the MCA’s vice-president from 2001 to 2016, was critical at the MCA for not taking critical cricketing decisions, especially after they lost the golden opportunities to hire the likes of Chandrakant Pandit and Wasim Jaffer – who have been snapped up by Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively for the upcoming domestic season.
However, the domestic cricket legend Jaffer had expressed his interest in coaching his home team Mumbai but was never approached by the MCA for any coaching role.
Read Also: "Kapil Dev is the biggest match-winner India has ever produced," says Sunil Gavaskar
Slamming the MCA, the former Mumbai batsmen said it seems that the newly elected Apex council hasn’t yet understood the urgency to appoint competent coaches and asked the state body to wakes up from its deep slumber for the shake of Mumbai cricket’s future before it’s too late.
Vengsarkar told Times of India: “It’s time the Apex council of MCA wakes up from its deep slumber and appoints the various cricketing committees before it’s too late. As things stand, MCA has already lost the golden opportunities to connect with the likes of Chandrakant Pandit and Wasim Jaffer who have already been snapped up and would be coaching Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively.”
He continued, “It seems to me that the newly elected Apex council hasn’t yet understood the urgency to appoint competent coaches for the various age group teams besides the senior Mumbai team and to plan future programs for them, unless, of course, they have already zeroed in on the coaches from outside Mumbai. Or else, the thinking could be: ‘What’s the hurry when the BCCI is yet to announce the dates of the fixtures.’ To be fair, isn’t it the MCA’s duty to give enough time to coaches, selectors, trainers, and other support staff to prepare for the season?”
Vengsarkar signed off by saying, “Come on guys, for the sake of Mumbai cricket, wake up and put on your thinking caps, for almost all the associations have already started the process a few weeks ago.”
(With TOI inputs)
