“The venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will be decided at a press conference during the ICC World Test Championship Final. The complete schedule for the tournament will also be revealed,” Shah said.
The BCCI will in the next week or so form a committee for the ICC ODI World Cup and the Women’s Premier League. “As far as the venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup are concerned, each office-bearer will be responsible for each venue. We are looking at all the metros as venues for the tournament,” Shah said.
“The World Cup committee will consist of all the office-bearers and one or two other members,” said another top official. A company called Grant Thornton will work with the BCCI on the upgradation of 15 stadiums earmarked for the ODI World Cup. “We want to enhance the fan experience,” a top BCCI official said.
Asia Cup schedule after ACC meeting
The schedule of the Asia Cup in September, currently in doldrums due to the deadlock between India and Pakistan, will be announced after an emergent meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which will be held almost “after a week or so,” Shah revealed.
“The future of the Asia Cup 2023 will be decided once we have a meeting with the ACC members (Test playing nations) and the Associate nations,” he said. Interestingly, the heads of Bangladesh, Sri Lankan and Afghanistan cricket boards will attend the IPL final here on Sunday. The BCCI top honchos will have an “informal” meeting with these ACC members on the sidelines of the match to discuss the fate of the tournament. While the event is likely to be held in Sri Lanka, Pakistan has threatened to boycott the Asia Cup if at least 4 initial matches aren’t held on its soil.
Afghanistan’s tour of India may be deferred
Afghanistan’s short white-ball tour of India could be deferred from June to around September, just before the ICC ODI World Cup. “We will go ahead with the series this year before the ICC Cricket World Cup,” Shah said. The BCCI is looking to resume the India ‘A’ programme soon, and is currently in talks with the board of England and New Zealand for these ‘shadow tours.’ “On India ‘A’ shadow tours, we are currently in conversation with England and New Zealand,” Shah said.
New India women’s head coach to be named next month
The BCCI will name the new head coach of the Indian women’s team next month, just ahead of the side’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh in the first week of July. “The shortlist for the (Indian) women’s team head coach has already been done. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will meet (soon) and decide accordingly. We may have a new women’s team head coach before the Bangladesh series,” Shah said.
While Shah had hinted previously that the Board was looking at staging the next edition of the Women’s Premier League around the Diwali window, this time the BCCI secretary said that a call on organizing the next edition will be taken after a discussion with the official broadcaster (Viacom18). “We will have a discussion with the broadcaster and decide on a window. We will be looking at a window for organizing the next edition of the WPL before March 2024,” he said.
Every state will have to appoint S&C coach
Along the lines of the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, all the 38 state associations in India will need to appoint a Strength and Conditioning coach and a Sport Science and Sports Medicine team.
“To address the injury concerns of players, we have created a structure where every state association will appoint a Strength and Conditioning coach and a Sport Science and Sports Medicine team. The candidates will be interviewed by the NCA panel,” Shah said.
Committee for POSH policy soon
The BCCI will form a committee to structure its POSH policy. “We will create a committee to structure the POSH policy. The draft is ready, it will be presented before the AGM for ratification and necessary approvals,” Shah said.