MUMBAI: While hailing the BCCI's decision to double the pension of former cricketers, men and women, and ex-umpires, former Board secretary Niranjan Shah on Tuesday urged the present dispensation that the pension scheme should cover those cricketers who've played less than 25 First-Class games before 2003-04 too.
"In my humble opinion, the BCCI should also sympathetically consider to cover in pension scheme players who have played less than 25 First-Class matches before 2003-04, cut-off year as decided by the BCCI," Shah said.
Shah was the secretary of the Saurashtra Cricket Association for close to four decades. "It's very heartening that the BCCI announced an increase in the monthly pension of former cricketers-both men and women also former umpires. The SCA sincerely appreciates the BCCI's initiative in the welfare of former cricketers and umpires," the SCA said in a statement to the media.
Earlier, former India women's team captain Shantha Rangaswamy welcomed the BCCI's move.
"On behalf of the Indian Cricketers Association, and all the former cricketers, I would like to thank Mr Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI, for taking care of all the former cricketers by increasing their pension. This will certainly help many former cricketers struggling due to inflation, to make ends meet in life. More importantly, I would like to congratulate Mr Jay Shah, whose single-handed effort has resulted in a fantastic achievement in the IPL e-auction bid," Rangaswamy, who played 16 Tests and 19 WODIs, and is presently the ICA representative in the BCCI Apex Council, told TOI.
