M.V. Sridhar named ICC World T20 chief

Hyderabad: M.V. Sridhar, former Hyderabad cricket captain, secretary of Hyderabad Cricket Association and current General Manager of Cricket Operations, BCCI, has been appointed Director of the ICC World Twenty20 to be held in India from March 11 to April 3 next year. Sridhar, known as ‘Doc’ in Hyderabad cricket circles, will head the organising committee, the BCCI announced on Friday. “It’s a big challenge. You are the single point of contact between the BCCI and the ICC and are responsible for delivering a successful tournament,” Sridhar told this newspaper.

However, having managed events at various levels and worked his way up, it should be easy for the resourceful Hyderabadi. Sridhar has been a player, captain, joint secretary, secretary of state cricket, Indian team’s media manager, team manager.“Organising the One-Dayers, IPL and managing the entire domestic cricket and the international schedules and working with the international boards as well as the ICC… all these combined are big lessons and should stand me in good stead,” Sridhar said.

“Also, my association with the 2010 Fifa World Cup where I worked on the event management systems was also a learning in terms of management,” he said. “The experience of working with some tournaments has definitely helped. Also, having been with the BCCI for the last two years (as manager, cricket operations) has been helpful in understanding how things are executed,” he added.

The game apart, Sridhar said emphasis would be laid on the fan experience. “The vision of our (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur is to ensure that the fan experience is at its highest. I personally believe in engaging the fans too. If we are able to delight the fans at the end of the tournament, we would have achieved everything,” he said, adding, “the Fan Park concept is a fantatic one that has taken off (at the IPL). We will explore that during the World Cup.”

His rise notwithstanding, Sridhar acknowledged his roots. “There are so many people who have made it possible for me to reach this position. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone I have worked with in Hyderabad cricket and assure them that I will not let them down,” he said.