Hyderabad, Aug. 20: With barely a day to go for the Hyderabad Cricket Association elections, members of the ruling faction appear to have covered all bases and are sporting grins in anticipation of another term in power.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, they sounded upbeat. “We will sweep the polls,” declared a sanguine Shivlal Yadav, key member of the ruling group, which remains unfazed by the presence of politicians G. Vivekanand, MP, and Kasani Gyaneshwar, MLC, in the rival camp.
According to sources, the number of voters attending the get-togethers being organised by both groups is the prime reason for Shivlal’s confidence — of the 228, those spotted at the rebel parties are about 50-odd. However, cross-voting, a trend over the years, cannot be ruled out when the ballots are cast on Sunday.
Announcing the manifesto, president-designate Arshad Ayub detailed plans for the development of the game in Hyderabad. To conduct all school-level matches on turf wickets by gradually converting the matting ones sounded the best.
“We have taken the Gymkhana ground on lease for another 60 years, and will build a cricket academy, which will be central to the scheme of nurturing young cricketers,” Arshad said, adding, “The satellite academies in different parts of the city as well as the districts will provide a broader base.”
Arshad also revealed HCA’s plans for a ‘cricket village’ at Shankarpally which will comprise about 14 grounds on which league matches will be played.
The panel also promises to constitute a high-powered cricket committee that will be involved in talent hunt as well as screening the selection process. Plans are also afoot to restructure the local league and opt for a three-tier zonal system.
Throwing his weight behind the ruling group, E. Venkatram Reddy, director of operations, Deccan Chargers, who is in the running to be a vice-president, said: “We at Deccan Chargers would like to renew our commitment to promoting the game and creating more space for Hyderabad on the international cricket map.”
“Identifying talent at the grassroot level and getting them into the Chargers’ pool and subsequently guiding them into the Hyderabad senior side will be on top of our agenda,” Mr Reddy said.
The members also expressed confidence that Hyderabad will regain its spot in the Elite division of the Ranji Trophy. “We’ve had one bad year, that too involving the senior team while all our junior sides have done well at the south zone and all-India levels,” secretary aspirant D.S. Chalapthi said.
Shivlal sought to clarify allegations of corruption in the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. “We have always been transparent. All accounts have been passed unanimously,” he said.
Shivlal said civil works were complete, barring the roofs at the north and south stands — the plan to cover the east and west stands has been done away with in view of the sunrise and sunset, which cast shadows on the pitch. “The HCA has so far spent Rs 85 crore, another Rs 15 crore and the stadium is complete,” he said.