BCCI looking to revamp National Cricket Academy, says Ajay Shirke

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to invite proposals from state associations to house a full-fledged National Cricket Academy (NCA) which in all probability will be moved out of Bangalore.

Ajay Shirke, the BCCI secretary, said on Tuesday (May 31) that the current NCA setup in Bangalore was only a partial facility located in the premises of a member association (KSCA), and the board intended to have a complete high-performance centre preferably in an independent location.

"When the current national academy was set up in Bangalore, the idea was to have a full facility on our land in the future," Shirke said during a media interaction organised by Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ). "But although the land was allotted to us by the Karnataka government, it never came into our possession because of legal issues. The present academy is a partial facility whereas we want to have a complete facility.

"So, we will soon be inviting interest from state associations, many of whom have unutilised land in their possession. Some may be willing to give us free of cost, some might have commercial terms. Based on what (offers) we receive, we will finalise this, within a deadline of the next 30 days."

An immediate task for the board is to appoint a head coach for the national team and Shirke hinted the position of team director would be done away with. "We will put out ads (inviting applications for the post). First we will appoint the chief coach. It's a position which needs a fair degree of autonomy ," he said. "We will give all that the person wants, and then pull him up if there is no performance."

The board has also received a radical proposal from its technical committee to hold all Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues. Shirke emphasised that the proposal was yet to be ratified but added that it was recommended after much serious debate. "It's a recommendation that will go to the Working Committee and it may or may not become a decision.But the background for that is the doctoring of pitches by teams to derive home advantage," Shirke, also the president of Maharashtra Cricket Association, said.

"Home advantage is a sensitive issue. The practice has been there internationally as well. The Technical Committee headed by Sourav Ganguly felt that there were limitations to every option. And, how do you define a fair wicket? The aim of Ranji Trophy is to produce Test cricketers and it was felt that this was the best option."

When pointed out that the neutral venue concept had been tried out before and the players were not happy, Shirke said, "Whether the players are happy or not will not drive the board's policy."