Agencies
New Delhi/Pune, Oct 25: The BCCI sacked Wednesday the curator of Pune’s cricket stadium, Pandurang Salgaoncar after he claimed on a TV sting operation that he could tamper with the pitch ahead of the second India-New Zealand ODI in Pune.
However, the match, second of a three-game series, went ahead as scheduled after an ICC observer approved the track following an inspection. Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president Abhay Apte made the announcement barely half-an-hour before the toss.
In the sting operation conducted by a national news channel, curator Salgaoncar is seen and heard speaking to an undercover reporter, who poses as a bookie, while standing on the pitch. The 68-year-old Salgaoncar is seen agreeing to tamper with the pitch to suit the requirements put forth by the reporter. The channel said that the video was shot Tuesday evening.
“Pandurang Salgaoncar has been suspended from the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s curator’s post with immediate effect,” BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary said in New Delhi.
“The MCA has also suspended Salgaoncar from all other positions in the association. An inquiry commission will also be constituted by MCA. At BCCI, we reiterate that we have zero tolerance towards any corrupt activity,” Chaudhary added.
What has left senior BCCI officials baffled is that Salgaoncar allowed a self-confessed bookie to accompany him to the main match pitch. Under BCCI rules no unaccredited persons, including journalists, are allowed near the pitch.
“The BCCI anti-corruption unit (ACU) under Neeraj Kumar will have some answering to do. Here a random man comes, doesn’t have an all-access area pass and is taken to the main pitch by the curator,” a BCCI official stated.
Salgaocar toured Sri Lanka (those days the country did not have official Test status) with the Indian team in 1974 for an unofficial series. He was getting a salary of Rs 65,000 per month plus pension from the BCCI. All payments have also been stopped said a BCCI official.
