‘Time for Hyderabad Cricket Association to be more inclusive’

By Vijay Mohan Raj There was a time not very long ago when cricket league matches of Hyderabad Cricket Association were played on choir matting pitches. The Parade Grounds in Secunderabad which had several mud pitches side by side was a spectacle for the cricket enthusiast specially on a week end which was generally the schedule […]

By Vijay Mohan Raj

There was a time not very long ago when cricket league matches of Hyderabad Cricket Association were played on choir matting pitches.

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The Parade Grounds in Secunderabad which had several mud pitches side by side was a spectacle for the cricket enthusiast specially on a week end which was generally the schedule for league matches.

Last fortnight I had the opportunity to be escorted by a friend of mine who claimed repeatedly that there were more than a hundred cricket turf pitches in and around the city of Hyderabad.

We have a group of friends who play matches and tournaments on weekends on some of these venues. I was also given to understand that tournaments between teams such as hotels, corporates, airlines and community clubs are conducted by some organisations who collect entry fees and do a fabulous professional job providing facilities such as coloured clothing, white ball, and the entire paraphernalia that would sometimes be better than the first class matches of the BCCI.

My visit to these venues and getting a firsthand experience reinforced my view that the game of cricket has come a long way in our city.

As illustrated above there have been positive and phenomenal changes that have taken place. This calls for a change in mindset and the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad cricket requires to be extended to these so called club teams and venues.

As the first reformation that should take place is to offer affiliation afresh such that only clubs that have the facilities of a cricket ground with turf pitches of a certain minimum standard shall be a part of Hyderabad Cricket Association.

This will not only enable our cricket to evolve but also provide an opportunity to thousands of these cricketers to play in tournaments that are blessed by the association and therefore talent coming from these areas is recognised and nurtured.

Also several clubs which are existing only on paper are weeded out from the system to enable the new ones to replace them. In the recent past decade, there has been a spurt of cricket academies which has also enabled scientific and purposeful cricket coaching. This could be an opportunity for their players to participate in the mainstream talent search of the State.

There is a saying that extra ordinary situations require responses which are out of the box. This creation of outstanding infrastructure coupled by the enthusiasm of thousands of amateur cricket players could be channelised to allow the standard of the game to reach its pinnacle in our city of Hyderabad and State of Telangana.

(Writer is a former Mumbai and Hyderabad Ranji cricketer)