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Mumbai: Indian cricket is again on a collision course with the game's governing body, ICC, this time over the reluctance of players to be a party to the World Anti-Doping Agency's 'whereabouts' clause.
The WADA diktat, to which the ICC has to adhere to as a full member of the International Olympic Committee, specifies that top players have to be available for out-of-competition dope tests and must also keep notifying their whereabouts online for at least an hour on a daily basis for the next three months.
As first reported by TOI, the specified Indian players have refused to fill up these online forms with details of their whereabouts, ahead of the August 1 deadline. They feel it will not only be a gross invasion of their privacy but might also compromise their security.
According to a top functionary, the BCCI is fully backing the players on the issue, raising the prospect of a tumultuous showdown with the ICC, which maintains that all other cricket-playing countries have signed and those who don't will be sanctioned. "We will oppose this move even if that means our disqualification from all ICC events, including the upcoming Champions Trophy in South Africa, the T20 World Cup and the 50-overs World Cup as well," he added.
In an unprecedented step, the BCCI has even called for an emergency meeting of its working committee this Sunday, just a day after the deadline lapses. The agenda, as expected from the board, has been kept secret. TOI's sources, however, confirm that the board's supreme authority will mull over the fallout of their stand. The board understands that it will face sanctions from the ICC. "We will not accept this clause at any cost," the BCCI official said.
Incidentally, Indian cricketers are not alone in opposing this code. Top international players, including athletes and tennis stars, had appealed vociferously against it but had to bow down under pressure from their parent bodies.
The BCCI is clearly leaving no stone unturned. It has already asked captain MS Dhoni, vice captain Virender Sehwag and senior player Sachin Tendulkar to attend the emergency meeting in Mumbai. "The WADA policy is too harsh and a clear-cut invasion of player privacy," said the top BCCI official.
Incidentally, all the other members of the ICC have already agreed to sign on the dotted line. "All the players named in the first list have strongly objected to the out-of-competition clause for dope-testing," revealed the BCCI source. "They have no problems with testing during cricketing activities," they added.
