The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is unlikely to join the anti-N Srinivasan camp in the BCCI if Sharad Pawar is the leader of the opposition faction, informed senior influential office-bearers.
The Jagmohan Dalmiya-led association, which is one of the major Test centres of BCCI, is in no mood to call for the controversial Board President's head as the association's long-standing differences with Pawar are stopping it from joining any alliance that has Union Agricultural Minister in the forefront.
"There is still a strong feeling in CAB that Pawar as ICC president didn't do enough to ensure that CAB could retain the India versus England game at Eden Gardens in 2011 World Cup. There was one association whose work was also incomplete but they got an extension. That was blow for CAB and we still hold Pawar responsible for that," a very senior office bearer told PTI today.
In fact, the CAB's acrimonious relationship with Pawar dates back to 2004-05 when Dalmiya and Pawar fought two of the most bitter elections in the history of BCCI.
In 2004, Dalmiya's casting vote helped his candidate Ranbir Mahendra beat Pawar by a solitary vote. Pawar came back with vengeance and beat Mahendra 21-10 the very next year and also played an active role in dethroning Dalmiya from the state association for a brief period.
"Obviously Mr Dalmiya hasn't forgotten the humiliation meted out to him post 2005 AGM. If Shashank Manohar leads a like-minded bunch which wants to do a clean-up job, the CAB top brass might contemplate thinking otherwise. As long as Pawar is the face of anti-Srinivasan campaign, we are not a part of it.
