Comment by Riaz Haq on February 5, 2017 at 4:39pm

Only #SriLanka comes to #India’s #BCCI support at the #ICC meeting roll back #BigThree http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/icc-bcci-big-three-... … via @IndianExpress

With the majority of the International Cricket Council (ICC) board members voting in favour of a rollback of the structure under which India was to get the lion’s share of the revenue, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s last ditch efforts to garner support failed.
India managed to get the support of Sri Lanka but it was clear that the majority of the Test nations were not in favour of the Big Three structure.
The two BCCI office bearers — treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary — who travelled to Dubai (the BCCI was represented by the Supreme Court-appointed administrator Vikram Limaye) for the ICC board meeting could not convince the other board members to defer the voting till April. The ICC will now pass the resolution during it’s next Board meeting in April.
According to a BCCI official, India is hopeful of convincing two other members to support them before the resolution is passed during the next ICC Board meeting in April. The Big Three — in which India, Australia and England — were entitled to 27.4 per cent of the total revenue from 2015-2023 cycle with India getting 20.3 percent was proposed in 2014 by the then BCCI president N Srinivasan in 2014.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 1, 2021 at 7:43am

#India #BCCI threatening total boycott of #international #cricket players who participate in #Kashmir Premier League #KPL2021 in #AzadKashmir. Several, including @hershybru (#SouthAfrica) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (#SriLanka), are defying Indians. https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/7/31/indian-board-warning-pla...

Former international cricketers are being threatened and warned by the Indian cricket board against taking part in the inaugural Kashmir Premier League (KPL) cricket tournament, organisers and players have said.

The KPL is scheduled to start from August 6 in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and will be contested by six teams captained by Pakistan’s current and former cricketers – Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.

On Saturday, former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs tweeted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) warned him against taking part in the league which has been sanctioned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the @kpl_20. Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous,” Gibbs said on Twitter.

“The @BCCI warning cricket boards that if there former players took part in Kashmir Premier League, they won’t be allowed entry in India or allowed to work in Indian cricket at any level or in any capacity,” Latif said.

The BCCI did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

No Pakistan player has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inaugural season in 2008, while Indian players have not been allowed to take part in any foreign Twenty20 league, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Pakistan Cricket Board has expressed its displeasure over reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has called multiple ICC Members and forced them to withdraw their retired cricketers from the Kashmir Premier League.

In a statement on Saturday, the PCB said “it considers that the BCCI has brought the game into disrepute by issuing warnings to multiple ICC Members to stop their retired cricketers from featuring in the Kashmir Premier League”.

“Such conduct from the BCCI is completely unacceptable, against the preamble of the Spirit of Cricket and sets a dangerous precedence, which can neither be tolerated nor ignored,” the statement added. “The PCB will raise this matter at the appropriate ICC forum and also reserves the right to take any further action that is available to us within the ICC charter.”

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 3, 2021 at 11:42am

ICC dismisses #India’s request against #Kashmir Premier League (#KPL). #ICC’s response came after the Board for Control of #Cricket in India (#BCCI) asked the international governing body to take action against the tournament supported by #Pakistan #PCB. https://www.samaafm.com/blog/sports/icc-dismisses-indias-request-ag...

International Cricket Council (ICC) has dismissed India’s request against KPL. According to International Cricket Council, it has no jurisdiction over Kashmir Premier League (KPL), as it’s not an international cricket tournament.

ICC’s response came after the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) approached the governing body to take action against the tournament.

Caution from BCCI for the players for Kashmir Premier League
Prior, BCCI had cautioned and undermined international players partaking in the tournament that they won’t be permitted to participate in any cricketing related activities in India.

BCCI then approached ICC and asked them to drop the tournament based on matches being played in the disputed area.

The BCCI letter to International Cricket Council
BCCI in their letter to ICC asserted that Kashmir is a disputed domain; henceforth no matches in such regions ought to have ICC’s endorsement. Nonetheless, ICC doesn’t have any guidelines and regulations against matches in disputed regions. It should be noticed that India has recently played two ODIs in Srinagar, which is in Indian involved Kashmir and is a disputed region.

A domestic league on a disputed territory
Moreover, domestic leagues like KPL require endorsement from the nation’s board, which for this situation is PCB. ICC’s guideline in regards to the endorsement of an occasion, condition 2.1.3, obviously expresses that every national cricket organization will have the sole and selective right to authorize the arranging of domestic matches inside its territory. PCB has effectively approved KPL, which is planned from August 6-16, 2021, in Muzaffarabad.

Furthermore, on Friday, former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs had slammed BCCI for trying to stop him from participating in KPL.

“Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me from playing in the KPL. Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket-related work. Ludicrous,” Gibbs tweeted.


Moreover, former England spinner, Monty Panesar, pulled out of KPL after reportedly receiving threats from BCCI. After denying him entry to India for cricket-related work in the future if he participates in the league.

“I have decided not to participate in the KPL because of the political tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir issues. I don’t want to be in the middle of this, it would make me feel uncomfortable,” Panesar tweeted.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 18, 2022 at 4:08pm

#India’s #Cricket Bat Business in Danger Due to Shortage of Willow Trees. #Indian bats are made from willow trees grown in #Indian Occupied Kashmir. They are much cheaper than the #English bats. 70% of bats sold in the world are made in #Kashmir https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/6874620.html

The best cricket bats in the world are made in England and India from willow trees. A bat is the long stick cricket players use to hit the ball.

The bats from India are in especially high demand. That is because they are much less costly than the English bats.

Bats from India cost between $50 and $500, while the ones made in England cost three to four times more.

The bat factories are in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir and they employ about 100,000 people.

The area makes about 3 million bats each year. The factories have customers in 125 countries. The cricket bat business brings in about $12 million to the Indian economy. The Kashmir bats make up about 70 percent of the world market because of their lower cost.

Many of the area’s factories, however, have closed because of a serious lack of willow trees.

As Indian-made bats became more popular around the world, more and more willow trees were cut down. New willow trees were not planted to replace them. Wood farmers chose to grow different kinds of wood that grow more quickly than willow trees.

Mohammad Shafi Dar is 55 years old. He is one of the skilled workers involved in making cricket bats. He takes a piece of willow and cuts it with a motorized saw. He then passes it on to another worker for the next part of the bat-making process.

Dar followed his father into the business when he was a young man. He told VOA that, for the first time, he is worried about losing his job.

“In the last couple of years,” he said, “bat production has decreased.” He said about six workers recently lost their jobs at his factory.

On the main highway that connects Kashmir with the main part of India, there are 400 cricket bat factories. Drivers see the pieces of willow trees gathered along the road. Fifty of the factories have closed because they do not have the wood they need.

The workers who lose their jobs do not have many other choices for work. Dar said they can become day laborers, work in agriculture or become sand diggers.

Fayaz Ahmad Dar is president of the Kashmir Cricket Bat Manufacturers Union. He said the willow tree shortage started about five years ago. He said the business is almost “extinct due to complete negligence.” Area factories, he said, receive just half the supply they used to.

Ahmad Dar said the tree-growers in the area are planting cottonwood and poplar. Wood from those trees can be used in making plywood, which is used in the building industry. Those trees grow faster and their wood can be sold sooner. The willow trees grow more slowly.

Ahmad Dar said he has talked with the director of commerce and industries for the Kashmir area. He told her about cricket’s growth around the world and how important the area’s factories are for the sport.

Ahmad Dar said he asked that the government set aside land that could only be used for planting willow trees so that Kashmir’s cricket bat business can survive.

After the meeting, the Sher-e-Kashmir University’s department of agriculture sent the bat manufacturers 1,500 small willow trees to plant.

Ahmad Dar, however, said that was not nearly enough. The bat-makers need many more trees than that. He said just one bat company needs the wood from 10,000 to 15,000 trees each year in order to meet demand.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 18, 2022 at 5:58pm

6 Most Expensive Cricket Bats 2022 by Popular Brands | DESIblitz


https://www.desiblitz.com/content/6-most-expensive-cricket-bats-202...

This is one of most supreme expensive cricket bats handcraft made in Pakistan from super English willow, with more 10 + straight 9+ grains. It is a world-class professional player bat, with excellent craftsmanship.

Special attention is noticeable in the sculpt of every corner and edge. The bat does not have a sticker, but instead has CA laser carving.

The CA Sports emblem is sealed on grip. A unique number is visible on the face of each bat. The toe guard part of the bat uses nothing less than Glass Protek Technology, which is good for all weather conditions.

The stylistic and innovative bat with exemplary weight balance is a creation for power hitters. Reviewing the bat through a YouTube video, Wasiq from Wasiq Sports says:

“This willow is outstanding. The pick up up is really good.”

This long lasting bat costs close to the £700 price point. Many international cricketers play the sport with a CA bat.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 29, 2023 at 9:23pm

India And Pakistan Renew Cricket’s Biggest Rivalry In Financial Windfall For Asia Cup
Tristan Lavalette


https://www.forbes.com/sites/tristanlavalette/2023/08/30/india-and-...

You don't even have to look at the fixtures to know that bitter rivals India and Pakistan will play each other at the upcoming Asia Cup, which starts on Wednesday in Multan, Pakistan.

"The entire monetization of the (Asia Cup) broadcast is based on this one match between India and Pakistan,” Asian cricket Council head of commercial and events Prabhakaran Thanraj told me last year.

“The men's Asia Cup is where almost all the funds come from for the ACC. Monetization will help put funds back into cricket.”

With so much at stake, it's understandable that Pakistan and India have been scheduled to meet on September 2 in Kandy. Given the intense political differences between the nuclear-armed countries, which has stalled cricket's most passionate rivalry, the blockbuster contest could not be played in host nation Pakistan.

According to sources, security concerns in Pakistan were too great as India refused to tour ensuring another round of warring between the foes.

There had been talk of Pakistan losing its hosting rights - and they fired back by threatening to boycott the upcoming World Cup in India - with ever reliable neutral terrain of UAE considered as an alternative.

Eventually, common sense prevailed as a compromise was struck with Pakistan to retain hosting duties but nine of the 13 matches will be played in Sri Lanka, including all of India's games and the final on September 17.


The six-team Asia Cup will be divided into two groups with the top two teams in each go to a Super Four before the final in Colombo. There is a chance India and Pakistan will meet three times in the tournament in what will be an obvious money-spinner every time they meet.

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Their games conjure record broadcast ratings and surreal scenes such as when they last played during the unforgettable contest at last year's T20 World Cup in front of 90,000 fans in Melbourne.

There is such an appetite - not just from Indian and Pakistani fans - but the entire cricket world when these rare matches take place.

Due to the heated political situation, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in a decade. A generation of their players have missed out on playing Test cricket against each other and a resumption is unlikely any time soon.

The scarcity, while such a travesty, does mean the anticipation is magnified every time these cricket-mad countries meet on the field. You can't blame the ACC for milking it and the benefits are enormous for the Asian region.

Established in 1983, the ACC’s goal is to develop and promote cricket in Asia while fostering better relations with its 25 member nations. A key role is to organize the Asia Cup - its marquee event - which was generally played biennially until 2018.

Under a rebrand, with all-powerful India cricket boss Jay Shah taking charge, the Asia Cup will be held annually interchanging between T20 and ODI formats. This year's event will be the 50-over format in what is seen as a perfect tune-up ahead of the ODI World Cup.

Next year's event will revert back to the T20 format in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup in the U.S. and Caribbean.

According to sources, India and Bangladesh are favorites to host the event which would again be played in August/September - as the Asia Cup has carved out precious real estate in cricket's increasingly congested calendar.

With a financial windfall guaranteed, as all eyes focus on India and Pakistan, the Asia Cup has become a major annual event while strengthening the region as the game's dominant force.

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