Calcutta: The Arshad Ayub-helmed Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has taken the unprecedented step of furnishing an unequivocal "undertaking" to the Board, promising to clean up its appalling financial management.

Basically, the eye-popping "undertaking" is an admission that absolutely no procedures were in place.

No budgets, no tenders, no... It's a shocker.

Besides massively weakening the Board's stand that it does swear by transparency and accountability, the HCA's "undertaking" has severely damaged the cause of former players, in particular, those who have played for India.

That too at a time the Supreme Court and the Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha committee have called for institutionalising a players' association and for that body to nominate two from the fraternity, including one woman, to the proposed apex council of the Board.

[Incidentally, that the HCA gave the "undertaking" was reported by The Telegraph on October 27.]

Ayub is a former India player. In fact, one-time secretary Shivlal Yadav also wore the envied cap multiple times. So, over the years, the HCA has been identified as a Full Member actually run by cricketers.

Surely, the HCA hasn't covered itself with glory, though.

Ever since the HCA's "undertaking" became public, "scandalous" has been uttered by many in the Board. Outside, as well.

The non-player types have, obviously, made the point that the HCA experience only proves their long-standing contention: Former India players don't guarantee either a clean or better administration.

One isn't suggesting that former India players (or even those who have played at the first-class level or India U-19) are themselves corrupt, or have knowingly condoned wrongful acts, but the HCA's "undertaking" has raised disturbing questions.

Question No.1 being how come Ayub, soft-spoken and forever courteous, didn't sense anything wrong?

Of course, it's not that all Full Members run exclusively by non-players have been most perfect in their financial management. To reach that conclusion would be miles from the truth.

There have, after all, been scandals cutting across Zones... From Goa to Jammu & Kashmir to at least one association in the East. Could be two.

Crores of rupees have been disbursed by the Board for years, but with negligible accountability till former president Shashank Manohar engaged Deloittes to review the procedures followed by the Full Members.

Twentyfive Full Members were eligible for grants when Manohar ordered the audit. Now, that number stands at 26, with Chhattisgarh the newest entrant.

The Full Members' strength is 31, but five (three institutional entities, CCI and NCC) are not eligible.

From what one understands, the Deloittes-conducted audit shames quite a few Full Members.

One can only imagine the repercussions once the audit is made public, maybe at the behest either of the Supreme Court or the Justice Lodha committee.

Had Manohar not engaged Deloittes in an exercise which should have been done years ago, the HCA wouldn't have given any "undertaking."

Besides Ayub, Sourav Ganguly is the only former India player (Test/ ODI/ T20I) to be heading a Full Member - the Cricket Association of Bengal - of the Board.

Clearly, Sourav has to do his bit not only for his association, but for the cricketers' fraternity as well.

Sourav's moves will be watched with much interest, greater scrutiny. But to what extent can he restore the credibility lost owing to the goings-on in the HCA?

We'll have to wait and watch.

Barring Ayub and Sourav, Chetan Chauhan (Delhi), Brijesh Patel (Karnataka), Dilip Vengsarkar (Mumbai) and Narendra Hirwani (Madhya Pradesh) are the former India players holding senior positions in one Full Member or the other.