HCA Selection Panel’s Bias Spoils Young Players’ Future

Hyderabad: Young cricketers, who toil to make a career in India’s favourite sport, do not just need excellent performance on the field but also meet ‘different criteria’ to join the list of probables and finally get selected for major tournaments.

Many budding cricketers have been finding it difficult to meet ‘different criteria’ of the junior selection committee to pick probables for the upcoming Cooch Behar Trophy scheduled to begin with the first match in Hyderabad on November 6.

Following an expose by Deccan Chronicle in these columns about the violation of norms in promoting teams for the leagues, the Telangana High Court had banned the conduct of matches. As the league matches could not be held, the players were left without a platform to showcase their abilities.

This came as a blessing to the selection committee to go ahead with their own criteria for picking players, instead of getting the issue resolved or conducting matches to select the best performing players for the Cooch Behar trophy training camp.

Highlighting the concerns of young cricketers and their parents,Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) joint secretary T. Basava Raju wrote to the HCA president and secretary, seeking a fair selection process.

Expressing his displeasure over the stand of selection committee to select probables by shortlisting two teams, he urged the HCA president to consider selecting at least six teams as it would give a chance for a larger number of players. “If league matches are not held and opportunities in selection matches are limited, where will these players go to prove their talent,” he asked.

To select the best players as per their criteria, Basava Raju said, the five-member selection committee led by Habeeb Ahmed had ignored players in the three-day A1 Division who are the first choice for a multi-day tournament like the Cooch Behar Trophy. Excluding them sent a concerning message regarding their prospects, he said.

The same opinion was expressed by the father of a player who stood as best allrounder, but who may lose the chance due to shortlisting of only two teams to select the probables.

Alleging corruption in the selection of players and mentioning the role played by a middleman who owns a league at Lower Tank Bund, Basava Raju said, “the selection of players is complete. It is a clever ploy by the selection committee to eliminate performers by manipulating the system.”

To play the four-day format of Cooch Behar tournament matches, the players need to undergo mandatory the yo-yo fitness test. However, the selectors have shown reluctance to implement this test, leading to suspicions. Basava Raju mentioned this in another letter to the HCA president and secretary.

After the wide-spread criticism about the selection of age-barred candidates by the selection committee for the Vinoo Mankad (Under-19) one-day matches, the HCA had suspended five players. However, the selection committee’s process for the Cooch Behar tournament has given scope for uge criticism from the cricketing fraternity.