Upcoming MCA AGM must have some cricket focus too

To say the Mumbai Cricket Associationrsquos MCA Annual General Meeting on April 15 is important for citybred international cricketers is as obvious as saying that they have been practitioners of Indiarsquos most popular sportInternational cricketers have recently started enjoying the right to vote in state association elections thanks to the Lodha reforms which moved and shook Indian cricket administration a few years agoAt last Tuesdayrsquos Special General Meeting SGM which I attended there was some discussion over whether players should be part of the voting One would reckon that even this coming up for discussion is blasphemy And indeed it was sad to see a player in the gathering not utter a word in protest Sidelining great cricketers who have given their sweat and blood will definitely not please Mumbai cricket lovers By the way will the AGM witness discussions on local tournaments or will silence prevailAlso ReadIndia On Track FC stun MYJGMSC to win Mumbai Premier LeagueKanga League issueWith the quality of tournaments surging downward it is high time to think about changing the pattern of the Kanga LeagueThe prestigious tournament which began way back in 1948 is basically a monsoon tournament that now starts on the second Sunday of August Lower division matches are played until midNovember taking away the wet conditions factor of the tournament The MCArsquos decision to send senior boys to play in the Karnataka State Cricket Association and Buchi Babu tournaments as well as agegroup boysrsquo tours to prepare for the national tournaments has added to the worries of upper division clubs wanting to field their full teams throughout the Kanga LeagueEven conducting other agegroup tournaments when the Giles and Harris Shield matches are played is unwise If MCA is serious about grassroots cricket they will have to rectify this as soon as possibleWith many new tournaments added to the already busy schedule of local cricket and shortage of pitches it is high time that someone may request the chair to advise the current Cricket Improvement Committee CIC to take up this issue seriously and draw up the full yearrsquos schedule that will not overburden the pitches and add to their deteriorationMumbaibred selectorsThe suggestion to only appoint selectors who have played for Mumbai was wellreceived by the chair This will not only bring about a sense of belonging but also provide former cricketers a source of incomeHowever another suggestionmdashto request the SC to direct the Comptroller and Auditor General CAG to inspect the associationrsquos books of accounts instead of appointing a CAG representative to the Apex Council pushed the members present on the dais into an indecisive zoneThe main agenda of this weekrsquos AGM is the passing of accounts and MCA members are never in favour of stalling that Therefore the evening of April 15 may turn out to be a congenial gettogether that concludes with a sumptuous dinnerJagdish Achrekar was Treasurer of the MCA before the last elections in 2002The views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paperatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params