India cricketer Parvez Rasool has called for BCCI’s intervention a day after reports emerged that the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has accused him of stealing a pitch roller.
According to a report published in The Indian Express, JKCA has also issued a notice to Rasool, asking him to return the machine or face police action.
“They said police action will be taken. Then in the mail, they said, do we have enough proof to nail him down. Does that mean you have come here to nail me down? Their intention looks different,” Rasool, who has represented India in one ODI and T20I each, told The Indian Express on Friday (August 20).
As if the allegation wasn’t enough, Parvez Rasool also had to face humiliation on social media as one of the JKCA officials wrote on the public platform that the all-rounder needs to be given a longer rope so that he hangs himself.
“The official deleted it but I have the screenshot of it. Can anyone tell me what wrong I have done that I need to be hanged? If you have any doubts, they have my phone number, they can call me. It took mere seconds to clarify but it seems they wanted to victimize me,” he added.
Talking about the notice sent to him, Rasool said: “Roller is not like a tennis ball that I can keep in my pocket and roam wherever I want to. It’s for ground use, it’s for cricket development. I really don’t know why these things are happening here. I got a ‘second notice’ which stated that we had sent you a notice on 5th of July.”
Earlier, Anil Gupta – a member of the JKCA committee of administrators – had stated that Rasool was sent the notice via email because his contact details were given for the district cricket unit.
However, Rasool denied receiving the initial notice and questioned the intention behind it.
“They said that it’s in their record book, if it was there in the record book then why was I not sent first notice, instead I was sent second notice. It means it was an afterthought. There must be a receipt with them? If you feel someone is not using it properly, then, you write to them and not to a cricketer who has nothing to do with this. I don’t get the point why they wrote me a mail especially as I have nothing to do with this. Write to the district officials,” he remarked.
The recent events have prompted Rasool to think about his future with JKCA.
“I have played cricket with passion and hard work. They are now forcing me to think about my future. I have come here to play cricket and not to do all this. Playing in this environment looks very tough now. If they have done this to me, imagine what they can do with smaller players,” he said.
Parvez Rasool belongs to Anantnag district, where he wanted to organize a cricket tournament JKCA issued a circular that those who are part of an unauthorized competition will be banned by the state body.
What infuriated Rasool was that other tournaments got the green signal despite Covid-19 restrictions.
“There were other tournaments happening, some were happening on mat wickets. A few districts later approached JKCA saying that as their tournament is already on, they should be allowed to conclude it. The JKCA agreed to it but when we asked they said no, due to the Covid-19 situation they couldn’t allow us to host the tournament. We are still waiting for approval from JKCA,” he said.
Asking for BCCI’s intervention, Rasool said: “I think BCCI should intervene now. Please see my work. I’m trying to promote cricket on my part. I had spent from my own pocket to build that ground and meet daily expenses. I don’t take any money, I help players. I thought what I saw and achieved, others should also get it. The fame, the money and playing a higher level of cricket, that is what I want everyone to see from this part of the region.”
