By Qaiser Mohammad Ali Oct 27, 2006, 10:13 GMT
Ahmedabad, Oct 27 (IANS) Most former India captains, including Mohammed Azharuddin, have accepted the cricket board's invitation, but not Jagmohan Dalmiya, for a function to mark the shifting of its headquarters to a new building in Mumbai Nov 4.
From the congested office currently located behind the north stand of the Brabourne Stadium near Marine Drive, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offices will shift to the brand new building of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in the nearby Wankhede Stadium.
'Most former captains, including Azharuddin, have accepted our invitation to be present at the function to be held on the main field of the Wankhede Stadium on Nov 4 evening,' BCCI executive secretary Ratnakar Shetty told IANS here.
Azharuddin, who played 99 Tests and 334 one-day internationals and led India in 47 Tests and 174 ODIs, was banned for life in December 2000 for his alleged role in match-fixing.
'Only Kapil Dev will not be able to attend as he will be out of the country to attend the annual Laureus Sports Academy awards function (in Monaco),' said Shetty. Kapil and West Indies great Vivian Richards are the only cricketers on the Laureus Sports Academy that comprises a galaxy of former athletes.
Asked if Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Dalmiya, at loggerheads with the present BCCI regime headed by Sharad Pawar, has also accepted the invitation, Shetty said so far he has not.
Another reason why Dalmiya will be disappointed is that as BCCI president he had started a move to have the board headquarters shifted from Mumbai to New Delhi - the place where it was founded in 1928. He was even exploring legal angles in order to shift it.
According to indications, not just Dalmiya, but no one from CAB is likely to attend the function.
All former captains will be presented a memento, but no cash awards and no speeches, he said. 'There will be only one speech - by Mr Pawar,' Shetty said.
Shetty, who is also the MCA treasurer, said it is also not known if International Cricket Council (ICC) officials would attend the function, though most of the top ones are in India for the ongoing Champions Trophy.
ICC has been maintaining silence on whether its officials would attend the BCCI function as they still see Azharuddin as a player who was allegedly involved in corrupt practices.
Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma, also a former Test player, were banned for life, while Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar were banned for five years by an internal BCCI enquiry headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) joint director K. Madhavan.
'But we have no problem. We will attend their function,' said Shetty, when asked about the ICC Annual Awards function to be held Nov 3 in Mumbai.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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