Integrity of the game on the line as a crisis meeting is called.
India’s cricket board chief faced mounting pressure to step down before an emergency meeting over a spot-fixing scandal that has already prompted three local administrators of the game to quit.
Officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were set to meet later Sunday in the southern city of Chennai over the scandal that has rocked the world’s richest cricket board.
Punjab Cricket Association president I.S. Bindra was the latest to pile pressure on BCCI president N. Srinivasan when he told reporters that the Indian cricket boss must go.
“Mr. Srinivasan must step down,” Bindra said.
Late Saturday in comments e-mailed to local media, Bindra called the spot-fixing scandal the “worst crisis” facing Indian cricket.
“After decades of being a part of the great game of cricket, and having served Indian cricket in various positions, I believe that this is the worst crisis faced by Indian cricket,” Bindra said in his comments.
“My central postulate is that the sanctity and credibility of the game should be our focus and be preserved at all costs. The game is bigger than any individual,” Bindra added, according to the Press Trust of India.
Srinivasan has been pressed to quit after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested on May 24 for allegedly taking part in the illegal betting row embroiling the Indian Premier League (IPL) that has dismayed fans in the subcontinent.
The renewed pressure on Srinivasan came after IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said Saturday he was resigning from his post “in the best interest of cricket”.
Shukla’s resignation from the powerful IPL post followed the resignations of BCCI joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke on Friday over the spot-fixing row.
The arrest of Srinivasan’s son-in-law came after Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two teammates in the IPL’s Rajasthan Royals – Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – were also taken into custody. All accused deny any wrongdoing.
Police allege the players deliberately bowled badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars after striking deals with bookmakers.
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