HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) move to lockdown the Gymkhana grounds to prevent the suspended Apex Council members from holding a press conference on the premises hasn’t gone down well with former cricketers. They were unanimous in condemning the move and said it was a sad day for Hyderabad cricket.
"How can the main gate of the Gymkhana ground be shut? This is very wrong and I condemn it. I can understand if the suspended members were stopped but one cannot shut down the Gymkhana premises. What about all the players who want to practice, train etc? The association belongs to everyone. Anyone can come and go to the association. It is not someone’s private property," said former BCCI interim president N Shivlal Yadav.
"It is unjustified. How can the president have the gates of the Gymkhana locked and deny the members access to the premises? This is unheard of and I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the association. How can a person who is not the ombudsman suspend the elected members of the association? The suspended members had written to Justice (retd) Deepak Verma that he was not appointed by the general body and hence should refrain from sending notices. They had also informed him that Justice (retd) Nisar Ahmed Kukru had been appointed as ombudsman. But this man still sends notices and suspends the members without giving them a fair chance to defend themselves. What kind of a Justice is he? He is just issuing orders which Azharuddin wants. This is not proper," said former Test cricket Arshad Ayub.
"Verma was appointed by Azhar and not by the general body of the HCA. Everyone knows what happened at the AGM in April. I am not taking anyone’s side. I want things to be done according to the rule book and it says that the ombudsman has to be appointed by the general body," Arshad, who is a former president of the HCA, said.
"It is sad that we have two parallel administrations at the HCA right now. Azhar is doing his own thing and the other Apex Council members are doing their own things. The sad part is that cricket is the loser in all these unfortunate and avoidable happenings. We were supposed to have the captains meeting etc as the league season starts on July 7. Now all that is lost. What is Azhar’s interest? He doesn’t seem to be bothered that cricketers are the ones suffering. He could always have asked me, Shivlal (Yadav) and other senior members to sort out the issues he has with the other Apex Council members. But his ego seems to stop him from doing so," he added.
Former India player Noel David said cricket is getting badly affected due to the squabbling among the Apex Council members. "Whatever is happening is not good for Hyderabad cricket. The issues which the administrators have should be sorted out off the field and not affect the on-field activities. It is really sad that members have been barred from entering the Gymkhana. Whatever be the issues, the members cannot be treated in this manner. My only interest is in the game of cricket and I pray that young cricketers don’t lose out on their precious years as we have already lost a year due to Covid-19. The leagues shouldn’t be affected this year too because of all this infighting," he said.
Former India A player and Hyderabad captain Kanwaljit Singh said the association has been literally dragged onto the roads. "I am really saddened by what I have heard today. It’s sad because these guys have brought the whole matter onto the streets. This is unheard of and very improper. The members cannot be denied access to the grounds. There is no place for personal vendetta and ego in administration. They have been elected to look after the game of cricket and that should always be the primary focus of the administrators. We all exist because of the game. If there is no game of cricket there is no association and clubs – that is something which everyone should realise. There is still so much talent in Hyderabad and it’s the job of the administrators to tap into it," he said.
"The performance of the state teams has been very bad in the last few seasons and the administrators should put their heads down and see how it can all be rectified instead of indulging in such unsavoury activities," he added.
