The Indian cricket board’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary on Monday washed his hands off the BCCI letter that urged the ICC and its member nations to sever ties with countries which harbour terror, side-stepping queries on whether it was prudent to raise the issue.
The BCCI’s request was turned down by the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying it has no role to play in matters like these.
Choudhary, asked at the press conference here to announce Tata Motors’ Harrier as the IPL’s official partner, whether it was a mistake not to have named Pakistan specifically in the letter, said,” I have not written the letter.”
The letter to the ICC, in the aftermath of the deadly terror attack in Pulwama that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel and for which the Pakistan-based Jaish-E-Mohammed took responsibility, was framed by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in consultation with the Committee of Administrators (CoA).
“The chairman of the ICC (Shashank Manohar) has made a statement to address the issue and he has simply said that it is a matter which is beyond ICC’s domain,” said Choudhary.
“I would like to put everything to rest that there is no difference of opinion. There was a written communication by the BCCI CEO with the ICC. There were two points in that communication the first point related to the security and well being of the players and of the fans also,” he said when asked whether the BCCI had erred in making this proposal.
Citing contents of the letter, Choudhary said the BCCI’s primary concern ahead of the World Cup is players’ security.
“The second matter related to suggesting that India and other members of the ICC take no part with teams which comes from areas where certain phenomenon emanate from, but the letter didn’t mention which areas.
To which the ICC chairman, after discussing it with the Board which is the only policy making body of the ICC, stated that it is not within the domain of the ICC to make a comment or make a decision.
The BCCI’s concerns were, as I said, primarily, according to the letter, security concerns relating to players and fans which the ICC has wholeheartedly agreed to address. And the ECB representative Colin Graves was of the same view,” he added.
