Parsee Gymkhana's cricket secretary and vice-president Khodadad Yazdegardi yesterday met the Bombay High Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) to hear his grievances against the selectors
Ajit Agarkar
In an unprecedented move in the history of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), a requisition Special General Meeting (SGM) is set to be called to decide the fate of the senior selection committee.
Parsee Gymkhana's cricket secretary and vice-president Khodadad Yazdegardi yesterday met the Bombay High Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) to hear his grievances against the selectors.
ADVERTISEMENT
Armed with 39 signatures, Yazdegardi, who took his prayer book along to take an oath in front of the CoA retired justices Hemant Gokhale and VM Kanade, accused the Ajit Agarkar-headed selection panel of not watching local club matches. "The CoA heard me out very patiently and asked me if I would withdraw my letter if the few players who have not been shortlisted for the Mumbai fitness camp [currently underway at the Bandra Kurla Complex indoor academy] are selected now. I told them that the main purpose of this letter is not that A or B have not been selected.
It is about selectors not watching local games. Had they followed local performances, then they would have picked Shubham Ranjane, Bravish Shetty [both top run-getters in local cricket], Raunaq Sharma or Shashank Singh in the Mumbai probables. The fact that they are not part of the probables shows that local performances don't matter at all," said Yazdegardi after his 45-minute meeting with the CoA.
He said that the MCA chief executive officer will now examine the signatures received on the letter and call for a requisition SGM within 21 days. At the SGM, Yazdegardi will have to garner a two-third majority to pass the resolution to replace the senior selection panel.
If the CoA does not call for the SGM within the stipulated 21 days then the members can hold the meeting with an eight-day notice. The options for Agarkar & Co are either to step down from their post or wait to learn about their fate at the SGM.
Indications are that the selectors might relinquish their post. It is learnt that the MCA CoA may call a meeting of the selection panel today (depending on their availability) to hear their side of the story.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
