Former Indian wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer launched a scathing attack on Indian selectors by saying that they were serving cups of tea to Anushka Sharma during the World Cup, a claim the actor later rubbished.
Engineer even called the nationals selectors a “Mickey Mouse selection committee,” in an interview with The Times of India.
He also launched an attack on the Supreme Court-appointed Committee Of Administrators (CoA), which was in charge of the BCCI for 33 months before the recent election, which saw Sourav Ganguly become president.
‘How Are the Selectors Qualified?’
Engineer criticised the lack of experience among the members of the selection committee, while praising captain Virat Kohli’s role in the selection process. He said that people with the stature of former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar should be part of the committee.
“We have got a Mickey Mouse selection committee. Virat Kohli has a major impact (in the process), which is very good. But how are the selectors qualified? Between them, have they played about 10-12 Test matches. I didn’t even know one of the selectors during the World Cup and I asked him ‘who the hell he was’ because he was wearing the India blazer and he said he was one of the selectors.
“All they were doing was getting Anushka Sharma cups of tea. I feel people with the stature of Dilip Vengsarkar should be in the selection committee,” Engineer told The Times of India.
‘CoA Were on a Honeymoon’
Engineer questioned the heavy pay packets the selectors get, while also lauding the decision to have former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly as the BCCI chief.
“It is about time we had a cricketer who ran the board, because the CoA, in my opinion, were a complete waste of time. They had no idea about cricket.”Farokh Engineer to Times of India
“I read the other day that each one of them (the CoA) has pocketed Rs 3.5 crore. It’s criminal. Plus I believe they got paid thousands and thousands for attending meetings and all, I feel they were on a honeymoon. The honeymoon is over,” the daily further quoted Engineer as saying.
Engineer played 46 Test matches and five ODI matches for the Indian cricket team, winning ‘Indian Cricketer of the Year’ in 1965. The 82-year-old is now a match referee in the Indian Premier League.
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