Ashok K.JhaPacker saga reenacted in India !
November 23rd 2007 07:18
Former Chairman of the selection committee and President of the Baroda Cricket Association has also accepted to be the Director of the ICL. Kapil Dev is the Chairman and Tony Greg, and Dean Jones are on the board as Directors.
Although the promoter of this venture denies this but this is similar to Kerry Packers’ World Cricket series, 1977-1979. After having been denied the telecast right Kerry Packer then started his own brand of cricket. Coloured dress, day-night cricket, white balls and limited over matches were experimented. Puritans mocked this brand of cricket then calling it ‘Pajama Cricket’. Nonetheless Kerry Packer had virtually split the cricketing world in two parts. Almost all the big names in the cricketing world could not resist the lure of money and had joined Packer, leaving their respective national teams. Sunil Gavaskar was the only exception.
Packer’s team toured South Africa too which was facing isolation due to their apartheid policy. The Packer saga did not last long but now the hugely popular ‘One-Day International’ is the product of that initiative. Tony Greg was the main person behind it then and he is into a very important role in this venture too.
There are other similarities too. It’s well known that Subhash Chandra, the Chairman of Zee Network was denied the cricket telecast rights two years ago by the then BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya, even after offering in excess of USD$100 million than the ESPN-STAR combine. There were many acrimonious verbal exchanges and the matter went into court too. After the change of guard at BCCI, the matter was resolved somehow, but the seed of this venture had germinated by then and all the preparations had been carried out. First he launched a Sports channel, built a stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal and brought the influential people into the loop. Now the idea is being given concrete shape.
All the high and mighty people, politicians, industrialists are associated with BCCI for the glamour and power associated with the game. They are all honorary members .
Although the promoter of this venture denies this but this is similar to Kerry Packers’ World Cricket series, 1977-1979. After having been denied the telecast right Kerry Packer then started his own brand of cricket. Coloured dress, day-night cricket, white balls and limited over matches were experimented. Puritans mocked this brand of cricket then calling it ‘Pajama Cricket’. Nonetheless Kerry Packer had virtually split the cricketing world in two parts. Almost all the big names in the cricketing world could not resist the lure of money and had joined Packer, leaving their respective national teams. Sunil Gavaskar was the only exception.
Packer’s team toured South Africa too which was facing isolation due to their apartheid policy. The Packer saga did not last long but now the hugely popular ‘One-Day International’ is the product of that initiative. Tony Greg was the main person behind it then and he is into a very important role in this venture too.
There are other similarities too. It’s well known that Subhash Chandra, the Chairman of Zee Network was denied the cricket telecast rights two years ago by the then BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya, even after offering in excess of USD$100 million than the ESPN-STAR combine. There were many acrimonious verbal exchanges and the matter went into court too. After the change of guard at BCCI, the matter was resolved somehow, but the seed of this venture had germinated by then and all the preparations had been carried out. First he launched a Sports channel, built a stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal and brought the influential people into the loop. Now the idea is being given concrete shape.
All the high and mighty people, politicians, industrialists are associated with BCCI for the glamour and power associated with the game. They are all honorary members .
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