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UT cricket association’s operations manager resigns
UT cricket association’s operations manager Manjit Singh was under fire for not registering three mainstay cricketers of the boys’ U-19 team for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy well in time
Under fire for not registering three mainstay cricketers of the boys’ U-19 team for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy well in time and costing Chandigarh a loss against Madhya Pradesh in the opening tie, Union Territory Cricket Association’s (UTCA’s) cricket operations manager Manjit Singh has resigned from his position.
The Chandigarh U-19 team led by Raj Angad Bawa did win three matches in the tournament, but that loss against Madhya Pradesh cost them a place in the upcoming quarter-finals.
Singh, a former NIS-qualified cricket coach, had been working as the operations manager since the 2019 season. In his resignation letter to the UTCA president and secretary, Singh, 68, writes that for the past one month, he had not been keeping well and unable to concentrate on the work.
Cites ‘increasing workload’, ‘inability to take stress’ as reason
He further said that due to the “increasing workload, he is not able to take stress at his age”.
He stated that he needs to have a peaceful and relaxed life. Singh, who has vast coaching experience, had never worked in cricket operations before and UTCA hired him for the post in their opening domestic season in 2019.
All-rounders Arbab Iqbal, Pratham Sodhi and Paras Amarjit Kumar were the players who had to miss out the opening game against Madhya Pradesh in the Elite Group B. The trio was registered ahead of the second game against Himachal Pradesh that Chandigarh won.
Speaking on Singh’s ouster, Rakesh Jolly, who is a former first-class cricketer and also chairperson of the three-member UTCA Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), said, “It is such a pity that a strong team like U-19 Chandigarh had to bow out due to his glitch. That loss against Madhya Pradesh hurt Chandigarh’s chances of qualifying in the quarterfinals. UTCA needs to be very careful and professional in future.”
The players should have been registered by September 10, the deadline set by the BCCI. And, the first match of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy was slated to take place on September 28 in New Delhi.
When UTCA joint secretary was asked the reason for Singh’s resignation, Yuvraj Mahajan said, “He has very clearly written in his resignation that due to his ill health he is giving up the post. He has not been keeping well since last two months.”
Chandigarh beat Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the league stage. Teams like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala, Vidarbha, Karnataka and Nagaland are in the quarterfinals.
“If UTCA is short of staff, why do they not hire more staffers and that too qualified ones. They might be an associate state and BCCI not giving them annual funds. But the BCCI can always pay for the hired staff. Chandigarh U-19 cricketers could have made an impact in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. Players were eyeing the U-19 World Cup scheduled for next year. CAC is supposed to look after cricket and the hired coaches and selectors, but UTCA has not given any powers to the panel. It is very disappointing and accountability should be held,” added Jolly, 63, who has played 40 first-class matches for Haryana.
