New Delhi, Jan 15:
Former India captain and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Anil Kumble today raised questions about the Indian Cricket Board’s age-verification process for various junior level tournaments.
However it was reliably learnt that BCCI president N Srinivasan was not on the same page with India’s highest wicket-taker in international cricket.
Kumble raised his objections at the board’s Working Committee meeting today about the BCCI’s prescribed ‘bone density’ tests for determining the age of the U-16, U-19 cricketers as there have been cases of age-fudging in the past.
“Anil raised the issue at the working committee meeting. His contention was that the bone density test which is carried out is not foolproof. There are a lot of discrepancies and he asked the president to think about an alternative. However, the president informed that the existing system was good enough and doesn’t need any change,” a senior BCCI official, who was present at the meeting, informed PTI.
“I don’t want to comment on this issue,” was Kumble’s terse reply when contacted for a reaction.
Early last year, the Mumbai U-16 team had 11 out of its 16 players reported for over-age after Tanner-Whitehouse3(TW3) test, which determines skeletal maturity, was conducted.
While the TW3 test was recommended by Dr Vece Paes during his association with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), it has recently been done away with as the BCCI reverted back to its old method of bone density test.
Kumble has been one of the vocal members of the BCCI as he has been raising various issues during the Working Committee meetings. During an earlier working committee meeting, Kumble had asked whether Duncan Fletcher has been asked by the BCCI to explain India’s 0-8 debacle against England and Australia. (PTI)