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Jharkhand and Bihar unhappy with Vijay Hazare quarter-finals fixture; BCCI willing…

With the group stage of the Vijay Hazare over, the schedule for the quarter-finals is out with Mumbai playing Bihar, Delhi playing Haryana, Maharashtra playing Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh playing Hyderabad. But the likes of Bihar and Jharkhand are unhappy with the fixtures as they feel that there has been a lack of uniformity in the preparation of the knockout fixture and that has seen them being handed a rough bargain despite doing well in the group stage.

As per BCCI scheduling, the top 5 teams from Elite A and B combined, two teams from Elite C and one team from the Plate division would qualify for the knockouts – as per points at the end of the group stage. Now, despite bagging the maximum points, 32, Jharkhand has been handed a game against Maharashtra while they feel that they should have ideally gotten a game with the qualifiers from the plate group – Bihar — after finishing as the best team in the group stages.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, a Jharkhand State Cricket Association official said: “Having topped the teams in all the Elite Groups, it was obvious that we would be the number 1 team and would have played team number 8 which would top the Plate division. It is pretty disappointing to learn that though the BCCI has grouped two groups of the Elite division together to decide on which 5 would proceed to the quarter-finals, they don’t seem to be sharing this principle for the purpose of deciding the placement of the teams. Also the fact that the system to be used was not communicated to the associations shows the confusion that exists in BCCI’s operations. This is unprofessional,” he lamented.

The Bihar Cricket Association on the other hand feels that having finished second overall in the group stage with 30 points, they should have had a game with Hyderabad as the team finished with just 22 points and is the last team to qualify for the knockouts on the basis of points from the elite division. But now, they are pitted against heavyweights Mumbai.

“What is happening in BCCI office how do we know? If this system is like this we need a good maths teacher in the team. Bihar team has 30 points and is second after the group stage. Jharkhand is 32 and first. We were thinking we will play Hyderabad. We are surprised we will play Mumbai. The BCCI did not inform us that this is how they will do,” he said.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, GM Cricket Operations Saba Karim said that the same old system has been followed when it comes to planning the knockout line-up and if any team has an issue, they should get in touch with the board.

“I am surprised that questions have been raised on the quarter-finals fixture. There is nothing new in the planning and the same old system has been followed when it comes to pitting the teams in the quarter-finals. If any team has an issue, they are more than welcome to come and clarify with us,” he said.

Earlier while explaining how the teams had been placed in the three Elite groups at the start of the tournament, Karim had said that last season’s performance was kept in mind while deciding which team would be placed in which group among Elite A, B and C. The Plate division consisted of the 9 new teams that have been inducted into the domestic structure this season adhering to the order of the Supreme Court.

First Published: Oct 11, 2018 22:18 IST

Source: HindustanTimes