Hyderabad jumbo cricket teams raise their eyebrows

Hyderabad: A new controversy is emerging in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) in which two teams will be selected – under 19 for Cooch Behar and a senior team for Vijay Hazare for the one-day tournament. Although Hyderabad has already started their Elite Group D league match against Tripura in the four-day Cooch Behar tournament, there is no official announcement for the team. The Vijay Hazare team has also not been made public. The tournament is scheduled to start on December 8th.

The fascinating thing about the secretary of a few clubs is that Hyderabad chooses a 25-26 player jumbo team, which is far against the norm of BCCI’s 20 members and other support staff. Generally, a 16-member team will be selected for any BCCI tournament. But since the Covid-19 pandemic, the BCCI has allowed 20 players as well as eight to nine member support staff.

HCA President Mohammed Azharuddin defended the election of 25 members, saying he had asked the BCCI for permission to send more players and fewer support staff. But the club secretary said that in that case, the president of the HCA should share with the clubs the details of the letter sent to the BCCI regarding permission to select a jumbo team.

“By choosing a jumbo team, they are breaking all the standards. Is it necessary to send so many players? Hyderabad is the only state to have sent a large number of players,” the club secretary said.

However, given the recent performances by teams under 19 and older, Hyderabad was one of the best in recent years. The under-19 team lost in the semi-finals of the Vinoo Mankad tournament, while the senior team was eliminated in the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. “There is no denying the fact that both teams have done well. But there are claims that players will be selected for jumbo teams despite poor performance. Merit has been left behind,” another club secretary said.

Apart from that, the local leagues have also been stopped abruptly. “The three-day league was suspended and so was the one-day tournament. How can they pause or postpone tournaments? Will provincial or Ranji matches be stopped if test matches are held? The system needs to be put in place, he said.

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