Extract from Minutes of Special General Meeting of the BCCI, January 10, 1992 at Hotel Connemara, Madras

Item No. 1: To move the International Cricket Council and to annul the results of the Three Nations Champions Trophy organised by the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series at Sharjah from 17th October to 26th October, 1991.

Before the item on the agenda could be taken up for discussion, the President (Madhavrao Scindia was BCCI President at the time -- Ed) observed that the situation and atmosphere at the time of the Champions Trophy tournament was very charged and the tension overpowering. He was very much concerned at what had happened and felt strongly about the developments there. However, the Board being a democratic institution, he did not want to impose his views on the members adn said he would be guided by the decision of the Board on the subject.

Shri J Dalmkya said the Champions Trophy Tournament was not played in accordance with the 1987 World Cup Rules, and that rules were bent to suit the organisers. In particular, the Pakistan-India match was extended beyond the playing hours resulting in India playing under poor light and losing the match. He wanted that the matches played in the tournament should be treated as null and void and that we should also write to the ICC to annul the results of the matches in Sharjah tournament.

Shri PM Rungta endorsed the views of Shri J Dalmiya.

Shri Amrit Mathur decried the tendency of the member to approach ICC directly on the subject saying that this hardly enhanced the prestige of the Board. Communications to the ICC if any should be made only by the BCCI.

Also, if the allegation that the entire thing was done to ensure Pakistan's entry in the final, Mr Mathur felt that the victims in an arrangement of this kind would be the West Indies. However, as they, the supposed sufferers, have not complained in the matter it would be futile for India to take the lead.

Shri Alagannan of the TNCS said that having lost the match squarely to Pakistan in the finals, it would not be sportive on our part to write to the ICC to annul the results of the tournament. He also felt that there was no justification for claling the special meeting for this purpose, adding that we accept the results and if the Tournament Rules had not been properly followed, we could bring this to the notice of the organisers for future guidance.

After discussions and going through the reports of the Managers, the other members also expressed their views stating that it would not be correct to write to the ICC to annul the results of the tournament.

The meeting unanimously decided as under:

(a) In the larger interest of the game and as the Tournament was already over, the Board should write to Sharjah informing them about the concern expressed by members and strongly objecting to the way the tournament was conducted. The Organising Committee must ensure that the agreed rules of the Tournament are strictly followed.

Item No. 2 -- -- To desist from participating in a tournament or match organised by the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS):

Shri J Dalmiya, quoting from an interview in a sports magazine, said senior players like Kapil Dev were not happy with the atmosphere prevailing in Sharjah for cricket. Hence he suggested that we would not participate in any future Tournament conducted by the CBFS in Sharjah and wanted a resolution to be passed to that effect.

Shri Amrit Mathur disagreed with Shri Dalmiya's views and said that we cannot take a blanket decision for all times to come. At the moment the general mood was against participating in Sharjah so the Board should take only that decision. Regarding future participation, decisions could be taken at the appropriate time, keeping in view the prevailing situation.

Shri A W Kanmadkikar, tracing the history fo the Sharjah Tournaments, said passing a resolution totally banning participation in Sharjah was not conducive to the game of cricket and also not in the interest of cricketers. Moreover, UAE is a founding member of the Asia Cricket Confernece. Earlier teams participated in Sharjah without the Board's permission and the Board had to regularise this by officially participating in the tournament. On some occasions we have not participated in this Tournament and we could take a decision as and when the invitation and we could take a decision as and when the invitation comes from Sharjah and review the situation existing.

The debate continues on these lines for a while, until the final decision is reached. As under. Ed.

Rounding up the discussion the Chairman said the blatant slant of the organisers in Sharjah had to be rectified. He referred to the general anti-Sharjah sentiment prevailing in the country at present and said he noticed the tremendous tensiion that existed when cricket games were played there. The CBFS must convince not just the BCCI but all cricket lovers that cricket in Sharjah is organised in a manner that is consistent with the highest traditions of the game.

Before deciding on future participation in Sharjah, the CBFS must take appropriate steps in convincing us that the management, administration and organisation of such tournaments is fair and equal to all participants. The Chairman said the CBFS has to restore our confidence in these matters and the quesiton of future participation of the Indian team would hinge on the sincere initiative from the CBFS.

Interestingly, immediately after this debate, the meeting moves to Item No.3, namely, "To take immediate steps to set up a Fund or formulate a scheme to benefit Indian cricketers who may otherwise have been CBFS beneficiaries" -- Ed.

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