*Maansi, Bharti, Parveen term move ‘treacherous’
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 22: A good number of Working Committee (WC) members of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), cricket coaches, former and present cricketers along with their parents held a protest demonstration against the shifting of JKCA’s Ranji trophy and allied home matches to Mohali, at GGM Science College Hostel Ground, here today.
Raising slogans ‘Jammu cricket bachao, matches wapas lao’ and ‘JKCA hai hai’, the protesters appealed the BCCI and its affiliate unit JKCA, to bring back the already scheduled home matches to the State as the situation, with the efforts of the Government, is improving in the Valley day by day, not to talk of the conditions in Jammu, where the ground needs a slight preparation and is in good shape to hold good quality matches at any time.
The protesters further said that despite holding cricket camps in the sweltering heat and humid conditions, the Jammu wing is being ignored by some vested interests in the Association to rule the roast.
Talking to media persons during the demonstration, Maansi Sharma, parent and a cricket enthusiast said that the cricketers have been left in the lurch in the dirt of politics in JKCA, adding that the budding cricketers have been engaged in the camp from last two months and the boys are waiting in the wings for their final selection, however, the administrators rather than concentrating on promoting cricket and cricketers at home are busy in shifting the matches to other places. She termed the move of shifting matches deceitful.
Rubbishing the decision of shifting match venue and terming the move as treacherous, Rahul Bharti, Working Committee member of Shastri Cricket Club in the JKCA election meeting held at Srinagar in May 2014, said that the decision will not only debar the budding cricketers from watching cricketers of international repute at home, but the State team will also lose the opportunity of home advantage.
Another Working Committee member Parveen Kapahi was of the same opinion. He wondered as to why the matches have been shifted to Mohali, when the main ground in Jammu is in better shape. He sought intervention of the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice in solving the issue.
Veteran cricketer Mohd Nasir and some young cricketers also lambasted the BCCI as also JKCA for their decision of shifting matches to Mohali.
Meanwhile, Jammu wing of JKCA in a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sought his personal intervention in the matter and has appealed him to ensure that the matches are not shifted to Mohali and are held in J&K itself.
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