Veteran cricket administrator Sharad Pawar will have to step down as the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president if the state cricket board decides to implement the Lodha Committee recommendations. The MCA will hold an urgent managing committee meeting on Saturday to make a decision on whether to implement the reforms or not.
The 76-year-old former ICC and BCCI chief does not meet the Lodha Committee’s recommendation of the age limit to hold a post in the board. As per the recommendations, 70-year has been decided as the age limit for office bearers. Another recommendation that states no cricket administrator can have more than two consecutive terms also makes Pawar ineligible to continue as the MCA chief. Pawar served as the chairman of the BCCI from 2005 to 2008 and as the president of the ICC from 2010 to 2012 before being re-elected as the MCA president in 2015.
Speaking at the 89th AGM of the (FICCI) on Friday, Pawar said: “While I am closely associated with cricket, the matter is in the Supreme court. The Court is now going to decide how cricket will be organised. Till yesterday, they were guiding how to run the country. Now, they are also guiding the sports organisation.”
But at the same time, he remained cautious while making a comment towards the apex court by saying: “I don’t want to say anything about that. I don’t want to face contempt of court.”
Back in July after the MCA Managing Committee, Pawar had said he would happily accept the recommendations of the panel.
He had said: “I am quite happy to retire as a happy person. The Supreme Court has said that persons over 70 cannot continue and it has also said about the maximum period of nine years for office-bearers. So I come under both categories. I should not expect that I should continue. I cannot stay beyond six months. I don’t want to wait till then, but some procedures have to be completed.”
Meanwhile, the MCA has called an urgent managing committee meeting on Saturday to discuss the latest observations by the Supreme Court. The Indian Express has reported Pawar has decided to quit as he does not want to be in a tussle with the apex court.