Guwahati, Jan. 15: The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) has decided to move the highest echelons of the BCCI for justice in the pitch-tampering case.
Secretary Bikash Baruah claimed to have evidence about Orissa tampering with the pitch during the match against Assam at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. He said the ACA would place the evidence before the BCCI working committee, the senior tournaments committee and the umpires’ board, seeking disciplinary action against the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA).
The ACA lodged a complaint with the BCCI after it discovered on Saturday — the fourth day of the match — that grass had been removed from the good length and short length areas and that the wear and tear after three day’s of play had been removed with clay.
“We will now place the proof, including the video clips and photographs of the tampered pitch, before the panels. We would have sought a replay of the match in a neutral venue, but the BCCI rules have no such provisions,” Baruah said.
Orissa defeated Assam by seven wickets at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Saturday, qualifying for the Ranji Trophy Plate Group final. With this, the team has also qualified for the Super League in the next season.
ACA sources in the BCCI said when the Assam team complained to umpires G.A. Pratapkumar and R. Subramanian, they, too, agreed that the pitch was tampered with and refused to continue the match. But, match referee Satayabrata (Raju) Mukherjee sided with the hosts and instructed the teams to resume the match, they alleged, adding that he also gave the report in favour of the OCA.
Sources said getting its grievances redressed would be a test for the ACA, as it has been an open secret that rules and conventions have, of late, lost following in the BCCI. The ACA, led by former BCCI vice- president Gautam Roy as president, would have to take the help of political bigwigs like Union minister Sontosh Mohan Dev and other well-wishers to influence the BCCI top brass if it ever expects any justice, they said.
Baruah, however, has vowed that as a member of the BCCI umpires board, he would ensure that Mukherjee was “booked”. He said his charges against another umpire this year for a two-year-old “offence against Assam” in Bengal had been upheld.
It was alleged that the umpire had called off a Ranji Trophy elite group match against Bengal in Calcutta in the 2003-04 season before schedule, citing bad light. Assam was inching close to a victory in the match.
“I ensured removal of that umpire from the first class panel this year. I am planning something similar for Mukherjee, too,” Baruah said.
Besides tampering of the pitch, Baruah, however, also blamed poor batting by the Assam batsmen in the second innings for Saturday’s defeat, despite taking a first innings lead in the semifinal match.
“We should admit that our score was not that challenging or promising in our favour,” he said.
Injury-plagued Assam we-re tottering at 100 for six in the second innings at the end of the third day’s play and were all out adding just 20 runs to the overnight total. In reply to Assam’s first innings total of 235, Orissa were all out for 233 and in the second innings, Orissa scored 125 for three.
The team claimed it could have defended the total with another devastating spell of bowling by rookie paceman Pritam Das, who hauled five wickets in the first innings, had the pitch not been tampered with.
