BCCI officials leave for crucial ICC meet
Posted on Jul 18, 2008 at 23:31 | Updated Jul 19, 2008 at 22:31
0 Comments
Email 
Print
Mumbai: Two BCCI officials — secretary Niranjan Shah and chief administrative officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty — will leave for Dubai on Saturday to attend the security briefing for the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday.
"Our secretary Niranjan Shah and myself are scheduled to attend this meeting," Prof Shetty confirmed.
"I can't comment at this stage whether the BCCI would support Pakistan as the possible venue of the Champions Trophy," he said. But in all probability, the Indian cricket board would vote for it, it is also learnt.
"We are yet to know the report submitted by the ICC's security consultants," Shetty said. However, according to sources, the International Cricket Council's security consultants Nicholls Steyn & Associates are believed to have given a "green signal" to host the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
One of the director of the company and South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela's ex-bodyguard Rory Steyn was busy in overseeing the security arrangements for soccer tournaments in Johannesburg on Friday, but his other partner Bob Nicholls has left for Dubai, where he is scheduled to make a presentation of what they feel about Pakistan as a venue. Their security officials have made several visits to Pakistan and the presentation report has been prepared.
Representatives of the ICC's broadcast partners ESPN STAR Sports and the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) are also likely to attend the meeting.
ICC's security consultants have cleared all three venues (Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi) for hosting the Champions Trophy. It is to be seen how the other boards, especially Australia, New Zealand and England would react to the announcement if they decide to go ahead with Pakistan. The report prepared by Reg Dickason on behalf of these three boards will also be placed before the meeting members.
The BCCI was also contemplating the idea of advising the members to postpone the Champions Trophy, if not awarded to Pakistan. "We shall see what the other ICC boards members have to say on the Champions Trophy venues and then we would endorse our views," Niranjan Shah said before leaving for Dubai.
| Ads by Google |
Total Comments: 0
Read All Comments | Post Comment