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The all-powerful working committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India retained former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri as Director of the Indian cricket team till next year’s ICC World Cup while deciding to hold its Annual General Meeting in Chennai on November 20.
The committee also decided to continue with the services of coach Duncan Fletcher till the World Cup, in Australia and New Zealand in February-March.
The Indian support staff trio of Sanjay Bangar, Bharath Arun and R Sridhar were also rewarded with contracts till the end of the tournament.
The AGM was deferred to pave the way for president-in-exile Narayanaswami Srinivasan's return at the helm, as a majority of BCCI members felt he will get a clean chit from the Supreme Court-appointed Justice (Retd) Mukul Mudgal committee.
Srinivasan, who attended the meeting as president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, was felicitated on being appointed as the first chairman of the International Cricket Council in July.
According to top BCCI sources, the only objection at the meeting was raised by the representative of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, who wanted to know the reason for delaying the AGM. His concern, however, did not bother most of the members.
A major decision outcome from meeting was the appointment of Shastri on a full-time basis till the end of the World Cup in Australia-New Zealand.
The working committee unanimously thanked the former India cricketer for accepting the job of Team Director for the limited-overs’ series during the tour of England.
Shastri will be with the team during the home series against the West Indies, followed by the Test series against Australia and triangular series after that leading to the World Cup, starting February 14.
The BCCI has given former fielding coach Trevor Penny and bowling coach Joe Dawes the option of fulfilling their contractual obligations by working at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore or quitting if they don't want to be a part of NCA activities.
The committee also decided to send a special team from North Zone to visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess the loss of cricketing activities in the state due to the floods earlier this month.
It will suggest necessary assistance so that normal cricketing activities can be resumed.
The annual accounts for the last financial year (till 31st March, 2014) were approved by the committee.
For qualification to the India ‘A’ team, it was decided that those below the age of 23 as on September 1, 2014, will be eligible and there will be no cap on the number of Ranji Trophy matches that one has played.
Image: Ravi Shastri (left) and India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images