Even as the BCCI continues to stick with its obstinate stance over many of their members not being in favour of the Lodha reforms, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has accepted the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed committee unanimously and in its entirety.

In addition to implementing the various reforms, the HCA also decided to hold fresh elections on December 24 during a special general body meeting that was called for at Hyderabad’s Uppal Stadium. According to HCA president Arshad Ayub, the decision was taken as a result of an order passed by the Hyderabad High Court asking the association to adopt the reforms.

The meeting did begin on a dramatic note with Ayub leaving almost immediately—15 seconds into it to be precise—along with a few other members after he had informed the house that everyone was in favour of the recommendations. The house then requested Prakash Jain, the vice-president, to conduct the meeting in place of Ayub. But it’s learnt that there were a few voices of dissent over Ayub’s instant announcement, and they demanded that some of the points in the recommendations get discussed post the departure of the president.

“The special general body meeting was called to implement Lodha Committee’s recommendations and the adoption of all amendments. Our president Arshad Ayub informed the house that everybody was in favour of implementing the reforms within the first 15 seconds. He then got up and left. We were surprised with his sudden departure. Probably he didn’t want to discuss any of the points. We really don’t know the reason,” Jain told The Indian Express.

“All the members requested me to chair the meeting as I’m the vice-president and they insisted that all the points get discussed. Each point was discussed and it was decided that every reform directed by the Lodha Committee will be implemented in toto,” he added. Out of the 216 voters, around 179 attended the meeting while 15—which included most of the incumbent office-bearers—left soon after the president’s early announcement.

Ayub, the former India off-spinner, though admitted that the HCA had no choice but to follow the High Court directive, and that the decision to accept the recommendations was unanimous.

“There was a one-point agenda of today’s Special General Body meeting and that was to adopt the Lodha committee recommendations. About 170-plus members attended and it was unanimously decided that the Hyderabad Cricket Association would adopt the recommendations. There is a High Court order directing the Hyderabad Cricket Association to adopt the recommendations so we had to follow the directive. I have also informed the BCCI of the same,” he told this paper.

The HCA has been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late and the string of controversies the association is dealing with presently include the charges laid by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on president Ayub for allegedly misusing public money to the tune of Rs 4 crore. Jain doesn’t shy away from the fact that the HCA is in a mess. He in fact admits it while revealing the date for fresh elections as is directed by the Lodha reforms.

Incidentally, Ayub had called a press conference only a day earlier to announce the formation of a spin academy under the banner of the HCA. He informed that three former Hyderabad-based spinners of note who went on to represent India, Shivlal Yadav, Venkatpathy Raju and MV Narasimha Rao, will oversee the academy as coaches while he too will assist them. And it’s learnt that some members weren’t in favour of Ayub appointing himself on that panel, considering the HCA will be paying the coaches.

“How can the president put his own name there?” said one member.

Courtesy: The Indian Express