‘Coach unlikely before September’

Going by a top BCCI official's words, the Twenty20 WC too could see a manager at the helm. Amol Karhadkar reports.

The hunt for India's cricket coach could continue till September. Thus, not just a long English summer, the Twenty20 World Championship too could see a cricket manager at the helm.

Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told HT on Wednesday that the new coach “will in all likelihood be appointed by the end of September”.

Meaning the ad-hoc arrangement could continue till the Twenty20 World Championship, to be played in South Africa from September 11 to 24. Asked specifically about the possibility of having a cricket manager, and not a coach, for the 12-team tournament, Shetty said, “I am not denying it.”

This would also mean that senior pros like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who have opted out of the Championship are again likely to play a major role in selecting Greg Chappell's successor.

Shetty said that the BCCI is being cautious since they do not want “a Ford-like situation to arise again”. He was referring to Kent coach Graham Ford's refusal to accept the job after apparently indicating otherwise. This forced the BCCI to appoint Chandu Borde as cricket manager at the eleventh hour.

Shetty was non-committal about when exactly the selection procedure would start. “We have received some applications but we haven't yet initiated the procedure,” he said.