Board summons Fletcher, may give him an ultimatum

On Friday morning, MS Dhoni and his boys travel to Bangladesh for the ICC World T20. Around the same time coach Duncan Fletcher will go to Chennai to meet BCCI president N Srinivasan.

While the India cricket team is headed east for Dhaka, its coach Duncan Fletcher will be going south to Chennai.

On Friday morning, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys travel to Bangladesh for the ICC World T20. Around the same time the Zimbabwean will go to Chennai to meet the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan.

It was reliably learnt from the BCCI that Srinivasan has summoned the coach, who after India’s series of dismal performances — the latest in the Asia Cup where they lost to both Sri Lanka and Pakistan — had gone back to South Africa, to give Fletcher an ultimatum to perform or perish.

The team’s recent performances have drawn lot of flak.

Many experts, including former cricketers, have asked for Fletcher’s head.

Very recently, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel had told HT that a review of the team’s performance will be sought from captain Dhoni and Fletcher at an opportune time.

Realising that there is hardly any time after the ICC World T20, which will be followed by the IPL and the series against England in June, Srinivasan has convened the meeting before India heads out to Dhaka.

A source in the BCCI has confirmed that Patel has apprised Dhoni of Srinivasan’s meeting with Fletcher. Other than Srinivasan, Patel and BCCI general manager of cricket operations, MV Sridhar, will be present at the meeting.