Mumbai Cricket Association: The internal dispute in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) took an ugly turn when a high-ranking voter alleged intimidation by an Apex Council member who is also a former Mumbai cricketer.
In an email to MCA President Vijay Patel, Anand Yalvigi alleged that Kiran Powar threatened to select a player from his club. He has also alleged that Powar’s threat was riddled with ‘atrocious and unparliamentary’ language.
“This is to bring to your notice, today morning (October 7, 2021), one of the Apex Council Members, Mr. Kiran Powar, called me and was insisting and threatening me to select a player (name not being disclosed) in the senior team.
His tone and language were atrocious and unparliamentary. He threatened all the selection committee members with dire consequences if the player is not selected.
It was shocking and disgraceful to see a former player use such language and pressurize a senior selector of Mumbai,” Yalvigi, 46, wrote in the mail
Powar, 46, a former top-class cricketer who had represented Mumbai, Baroda, Assam and Goa, declined to respond to the allegations, but Mumbai chief coach Salil Ankola described the exchange between the two former Mumbai players as a sad development.
“Sad that something like this has happened,” Ankola, a former Indian pacer, said. “I absolutely support Anand.”
Yalvigi, who played world-class cricket for Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, confirmed the wording of the email but did not comment. However, he has urged the president of the MCA to take the toughest measures.
“I have a clean track record and (am someone) who does my job diligently and am a professional with 25 years of corporate experience. Such calls are disturbing and demotivating. If such things continue, I can only say – ‘God help Mumbai Cricket‘. I sincerely hope, such things shouldn’t be tolerated and the strictest action should be taken to avoid any further embarrassment. So, I have spoken to all my colleagues and they are of the same opinion too. Looking forward to your support and intervention,” he wrote, signing off his letter.
In addition to Ankola, who is the president.
However, Yalvigi, Ghulam Parkar, Sunil More and Prasad Desai are the members of the Mumbai selection committee. Therefore, MCA President Patil was not available to respond.
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