Arguments from the BCCI Supporters

Well if you wish to read the kind of arguments that are coming from the BCCI supporters these days on the issue of the PCBs games in Dubai here is a sample:

"What is Pakistan's standing to demand that games be played in Dubai? If there was any agreement in force between the various parties hosting the 2011 World Cup (and if they had sought legal advice) or if the ICC had agreed terms with the putative host nations, it seems likely that such agreement would have included either an implicit or explicit force majeure clause. These clauses typically state that if the circumstances assumed at the time the agreement was made change so drastically that the contract cannot be performed, it will be varied or cancelled entirely (on defined or undefined terms).

"Clearly the Lahore attacks seem to present a force majeure. Clearly, also, there is a simple solution: remove the games which were to be hosted in Pakistan. Any compensatory damages would be the subject of the initial agreement. To be honest, I'm not sure that damages from the ICC are the right remedy for the PCB. There's a fairly strong case that instead, they should seek recompense from their own government for failing to maintain security at a level where the games could continue.

"It falls to the ICC or to the other subcontinental countries (depending on which agreement gave Pakistan the right to host matches - I suspect that it is some combination of the two) either to vary or to cancel the initial agreement entirely. Why the PCB - which is the subject of the change in circumstances and seems to be receiving more than adequate compensation for no longer hosting the games. At that point, their opinion should not really matter, and the reallocation of the games becomes a matter for the remaining parties to the hosting agreement. The onus is on Pakistan to show why, on top of compensation, it has any contractual right to demand that matches be played in the UAE in addition to receiving compensation. Beyond statements suggesting that they would like this to be the case and shifting the onus to the other boards to argue why the games should not be played in the UAE, they have done nothing of the sort."

I should add that this is not the BCCIs argument itself which has been limited to the dilution of concept.

My response essentially has been:

"Now an unusual circumstance has occurred. The affected party is providing a solution which in no way affects the financial status of the other parties as was agreed. The affected party is trying to find the solution that best serves its financial interests while changing nothing for the other parties involved. Why is the BCCI so damn greedy? At least explain this dilution of concept reasonably enough. Note that Morgan didn't use this term."

and

"BCCI or its supporters are telling us how they will have to to do all this extra work and on top of that will have to pay PCB for doing nothing. PCB is saying please do us no favors. We will do our administrative part. We will not cut into any money that you are going to get and let us handle our part. Now BCCI itself has only claimed this dilution of concept. Why doesn't it clearly define it and tell us how much money it will lose because of this dilution. Also why doesn't it publish how much it will stand to gain(or what it will gain) by getting the extra matches. In a contract it is not majority rule in every sense that oh the majority thinks you shouldn't have anything so you the fourth partner will have nothing. That is why I think things should go to court and we will know greater detail of the contract and what each party is hoping to really accomplish. But as a general over arching rule if one party is able to fulfil its obligations without affecting what others are getting the court will ask the question: What is your problem? And they better have a good answer. This dilution of concept does not look good. "


If you wish to follow the whole discussion you can go to the link below. Oh and ignore Jane while you are there :)

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.cricket/browse_frm/thread/f464eedd1ff61694/e362739928d08336?hl=en#e362739928d08336

Butt Shows Mettle

Butt has in the past sometimes sounded almost petulant. But he has come out with a very measured response to the ICCs statement yet sticking to his guns (http://www.cricinfo.com/wc2011/content/current/story/410550.html). He dispelled any cloudiness on the issue.

As I wrote earlier that BCCIs history shows that it would never agree to anything willingly and that ICC (with a very large number of BCCI-related employees) will just be its rubber stamp. The real question was whether the PCB will fold. Can Butt hold the fort?

Life is Funny that Way

Or BCCIs guide to How to Kick a Friend When He's Down: A Case Study

"It's a miracle that we were able to finally file the Compliance Bid on April 20, a day before the final deadline. After being informed by the Pakistan board officials about presenting the joint bid, we came to know that we were utterly lacking in completing the formalities. Then February 28 was the last date to file the bid. I along with Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah [Indian Board officials] flew down to Dubai for filing of documents. We spent two days in ICC office trying to understand the formalities to be completed."
Bindra said they had sought time from Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, and pleaded at the meeting of the ICC board that due to the regime change of the Indian Board a lot of things were still in transition, due to which lot of time had been consumed. "In between taking permissions from the highest Governmental levels and not talking about the problems we faced with Bangalore and Kolkata associations, we finally filed the bid on April 20."


http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/246390.html

Judge, Jury, Executioner or the Justice of the ICC and BCCI

Yesterday ICC came out with the statement:

"The ICC President David Morgan reported to the ICC’s commercial board (IDI) following recent discussions concerning the issues the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has in relation to the hosting of matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

"The IDI Board reaffirmed the decisions it took at its previous meetings (17 and 18 April in Dubai), that Pakistan would no longer be a host location for the tournament and that Lahore would be removed as the tournament’s administrative headquarters."

For the full statement see
http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/media-release/2009/june/media-release20090626-59.html

So one naturally wonders who is on this commercial board. While that may be hard to locate but let us look at the Commercial affairs committee that reports to this IDI entity. From the ICCs website:

ICC FINANCE AND COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
The Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee was established to report to the IDI Board on all matters relating to Finance. This includes ICC Events, Financial Results, Budget & Planning, Commercial Matters and Business Partner Program, Investment Program, tax planning, sponsorships and sale of commercial rights.


Chairman
Sharad Pawar
Members
Giles Clarke

Haroon Lorgat

David Morgan OBE

Neil Speight

Lalit Modi

Alan Isaac

http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/about-icc/executive.html

moved to http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/the-icc/about_the_organisation/icc_committees.php


If you are not yet laughing or crying that is probably due to the fact you have no clue who these gentlemen are. It seems when Morgan and Lorgat sit and talk about the decisions being handed down by the IDIs commercial arm they are in fact talking about themselves in third person. To top it off the chairman Sharad Pawar is the head of the Indian board with whom the dispute needs to be resolved and of course there is the ever present Mr. Modi of the "ad hoc IPL rules to exclude the PCB team." But we are not done yet. The supposed neutral mediator that the ICC has appointed to "help" Pakistan remain in the cricket community (whatever that means) , Giles Clarke, is also a member of this esteemed body.

http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/about-icc/executive.html

I was Going to Write a Tragicomedy but ...

Now I can just lift the dialogue right out of ICC and BCCI officials mouths ...

David Morgan: There are already four host nations. There could be a fifth country hosting matches. (The ICC President, July 15th)

Haroon Lorgat: There is no question of a fifth country. The board has considered that and decided that 14 matches that were allocated to Pakistan should take place in the other three host countries - India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. (The ICC Cheif Excutive, July 20th)

Source: Initially when Butt met ICC President David Morgan and vice-President Sharad Pawar in London, the latter had assured him things would be resolved.

Sharad Pawar: I can do nothing if the Indian board does not want the matches to be held at neutral venues. (In a later meeting to decide the venue question)


What is the pretext for avoiding the neutral venue? You guessed it: Dilution of concept (see http://voiceandview.blogspot.com/2009/06/whats-this-dilution-of-concept-that.html if you are unclear on the concept). One wonders if Mr. Morgan spent some time trying to understand this dilution. Any cricket journalist out there care to ask of this so oft repeated phrase that it is now a cliche.

Now one must remember Mr. Morgan is the same person who after ascendancy to the presidency actively campaigned for the Oval Test decision to be overturned and the match awarded to England (rather than remaining a neutral force as president whatever his personal feelings).

After his initial statement he seems now to be now firmly behind his cheif executive's skirt afraid of the wrath BCCI or Sharad Pawar may inflict on him. Infact he is telling us how PCB has accepted the decision.

Sources:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gtErc1Ip8ha7MJ2Qs-OQcdePniqw

http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/410516.html

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=Cricket&id=687b700c-20bf-49e3-b059-949ff3a639dc&Headline=PCB+unhappy+with+BCCI

Winning the World Cup was Easy

Now comes the true David vs Goliath in the form of the the PCB vs the BCCI. Not only is it that the BCCI have all the money and clout and the PCB have none but right now it is has been cast out by its fellow Politburo members awaiting the fate of the cast out Politburo members. To top that off BCCI is run by battle hardened politicians and businessmen while the PCB is essentially run by a bunch of amateurs. Not only is Goliath big it also has David's sling in its hand. That custodian of morality in cricket, the MCC, is firmly in the right moral corner with assigning current BCCI players only to its cricket committee and busily arranging IPL games on its ground. No, not a peep will be heard from them or anyone else for that matter. It is truly sad that the republican age of the ICC lasted all but a decade. Yet once the MCC was the ICC and there was one little board that chose to question its unquestioned bluster. It took a long time to rest the ICC from the MCC. The new usurper stands even more menacing and is still gaining strength but the little hobbit must travel to Mordor ... not to restore a king but to save the republic.

It's Going to get Very Very Nasty

http://www.cricketnirvana.com/news/international/2009/june/news-20090623-437.html

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/409953.html

http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_mohammad-yousuf-faces-bcci-swrath_1267924

http://www.cricdb.com/archive/international/news/detail.php?nid=1926

But none of the opposing boards have really explained why they are against the neutral venue but that they are most definitely against it.

The BCCI Agenda

Let's put this dilution of concept nonsense behind us and look at the real reasons behind the BCCIs lack of enthusiasm for Pakistan's proposal for its games to be played in Dubai. The reasons are fourfold.
1. Since the late eighties BCCI has been averse to Dubai and has tried to keep the cricket there to a minimum. The reasons for this are basically financial. In the early days Dubai's cricket organizers made a lot of money (for that time) by primarily holding Pakistan and India games. BCCI realized the potential and also saw Dubai as a threat to its dominance. If there was a lot of money to be made why shouldn't it be the one to do so? Why share it when it controlled the team? The betting and other issues have been smoke screens. The BCCI does not like to share. This is also apparent in its treatment of the ICL. The ICC wanted the BCCI to come to terms with ICL but it refused. And it wanted BCCI to come to terms because legally it was in a vulnerable spot. Even now most elements in the ICC do not have a problem with the PCB playing its games in Dubai but they dare not upset the BCCI. BCCI, if past history is something to go by, will not relent on this by itself. The only thing that may compel the ICC to force a resolution is the threat of the lawsuit. Even then it is hard to see the BCCI relent. Dubai is a viable market that the BCCI feels cuts into its market (because of demographics). It wants to keep the venue unviable.

2. Its the money. While they will pay out hosting fees there is other money involved. On one hand PCB is accused of getting free money for doing nothing. They are shouted down by slogans such as taking the tournament hostage and blackmailers but when they try to go out and participate and find their own solution they are accused of breaking the code of the brotherhood. After all they are not taking any money that would have originally gone to the other hosts. Financially they are trying to find the best deal for them which also makes sense tournament-wise and also gives them a hand in the organization of the tournament. There is all this talk of standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism and here the countries of the ICC have a choice to allow the PCB to do what it can in Dubai but most of them are silent in fear of the wrath of the BCCI.
3. Its payback for the IPL ban. There are at least two other actions that support this line of conduct. One, removing the PCB team from the Champions League without any notification or talks on an ad hoc basis where rules were virtually created out of nothing to suit the BCCI agenda. There is also currently a cessation of the BCCI-PCB tours. Its a way to force PCB to play in India while not playing in Pakistan. Two, when Ranatunga was threatening IPL participation of Sri Lanka's players the BCCI went to the Sri Lankan government behaving like the East India Company. After the BCCI tour to Pakistan had been cancelled PCB had arranged a tour with Sri Lanka. BCCI went to Sri Lanka offering games instead resulting in the modified tour.

4. BCCI does not need PCB anymore. BCCI already got the votes and support it needed against the PCBs ICL players which were the most threat to it since they were closest to the current international players that the ICL had. With all the money now involved the other big boards are now willing to get into bed with BCCI rather enthusiastically as observed in SA during the IPL when all CSA could think of was how to get the IPL again and MCCs overtures for games at its ground. They all have now teams in the Champions League. Champions League will become an instrument of keeping the smaller boards in line. Anyone who does not act in a way that the BCCI feels is proper will find itself cutoff.

What's This Dilution of Concept That BCCI Officials Keep Talking About

A conversation
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.cricket/browse_frm/thread/0fd38acde2c7c706?hl=en#

Can someone at BCCI explain what the dilution will be?

Break the Bank, Bring Down the House, and Leave the Building

Younis Khan has manged to do all three ending it all on almost a perfect note. The sixty-four thousand dollar question is of course who gets the captaincy? Names of Akmal, Misbah, and Afridi have been thrown about. Misbah was the last designated vice captain and probably for continuity should take over. Two things that may go against him are his age (He is thirty-five) and Afridi's recent success. In Pakistan cricket the recency effect is usually over pronounced. Unless there is widespread descent against him Misbah should take over the reigns with maybe Afridi as the captain-in-training (He does wish to be the captain). In two years time at thirty-seven Misbah would probably be ready to retire and Afridi can take over if things have gone smoothly. Besides there are likely to be not too many international twenty20 matches except in the world cups.

The Unsung

Who is the best cricket coach around these days?
1. He has led three teams to world championships.
2. Most of his charges were young.
3. His bowling units were the outstanding feature. So at least probably the best bowling coach.
4. Also was part of a world cup champion team as a bowler.

Aaquib Javed.
Currently Pakistan's assistant coach but the primary skills coach. Alam, who mostly handled the personnel, had his second success in a world cup as a coach.

Return of the Old Gaurd

If the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup led to the discovery and rise of Misbah and Tanveer then the 2009 version was the return of the old guard. To be sure there was a newer generation on display as well but it was Razzaq and Afridi who came in from the cold. Razzaq had been dropped before the last Twenty20 Cup and was put in the deep freeze after the BCCIs insistence on banning ICL players. Afridi too was drifting in the nether regions for some time though his bowling had improved over the last year. But this was a new Afridi his final innings more reminiscent of Miandad's perfect pacing of the innings than the Afridi of old.
Miandad on the eve of the match said that there are a hundred and twenty balls and if you take a single every ball you have a 120 runs. Wasim Akram backed them to win it all when not many were willing to give them a chance. Gul, who finally installed himself as the premiere limited overs fast bowler, was in constant contact with Akram, Younis and Akhtar who helped him out. Afridi has already mentioned that Qadir had helped him out with his bowling. It was a coming together of the generations.
The team could not have asked more of the next generation of players in the final. Aamer, his action still somewhat flailing, bounced out the man of the tournament and performed credibly in the semifinal. It is hard to see Shahzaib remain in the openers slot and I don't think it was his position to begin with but he finally gave Pakistan the start they had been lacking all along. It was nothing spectacular but for the first time the next batsman went in with considerably less pressure.

Shoaib Malik returned to his old versatile self and being the ultimate team man. His bowling did not click his batting form was mercurial but he stuck it out and got the job done. In some sense he was the link between the last Cup and this one. If he had led Pakistan and took them to the final then he was fighting in the trenches this time. One man who probably did not get so much attention but performed a vital Gilchrist-like role at the top of the order was Akmal. With the bind Pakistan was in at the opening spot he shored up one end and produced some quick runs. Then there was the erstwhile journeyman Ajmal who came able and willing to play with the big boys.

The team was undercooked and Younis made some critical tactical mistakes and media gaffes but he brought together the resources he had at hand, which were less than ideal mostly due to the ICL drops, and produced one of the most important results for Pakistan cricket.