Dilip Vengsarkar tears into MCA for losing out on services of Wasim Jaffer
Vengsarkar left no stone unturned
|Legendary Mumbai cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar launched a verbal onslaught on the Mumbai Cricket Association for their inefficiency after they missed out on the chance to appoint Wasim Jaffer as the state sideâs head coach. Earlier this week, Uttarakhand snapped up Jaffer as the teamâs head coach.
With just a solitary win to their name, Mumbai had an abysmal 2019/20 Ranji Trophy season campaign, finishing 13th on the Elite Group A and B table, failing to qualify for the knockout stages. Injuries did contribute to the teamâs misery, but the side has come under fire for its ineptness and inefficiency, with several experts and former cricketers lashing out at the glaring lack of leadership and direction within the state.Â
And, ahead of the 2020/21 domestic season, the side had an opportunity to rope in experienced names on the coaching front, but that possibility was soon squashed in no time as both Chandrakant Pandit and Wasim Jaffer were appointed by Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively. And now, the Mumbai Cricket Associationâs (MCAâs) failure to be proactive with respect to acquiring big names has not gone down too well with legendary cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, who has ripped into the association for letting an array of opportunities slip.
âItâs time the Apex council of MCA wakes up from its deep slumber and appoints the various cricketing committees before itâs too late,â Vengsarkar told TOI.
âAs things stand, MCA has already lost the golden opportunities to connect with the likes of Chandrakant Pandit and Wasim Jaffer who have already been snapped up and would be coaching Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively.
âIt seems to me that the newly elected Apex council hasnât yet understood the urgency to appoint competent coaches for the various age group teams besides the senior Mumbai team and to plan future programmes for them, unless, of course, they have already zeroed in on the coaches from outside Mumbai. Or else, the thinking could be: âWhatâs the hurry when the BCCI is yet to announce the dates of the fixtures,â said the 64-year-old.Â
Vengsarkar, a former vice president of the MCA himself, stated that Mumbai were not doing any favours by delaying the appointment of staff and further noted how other sides, in comparison, began the process several weeks ago.
âTo be fair, isnât it the MCAâs duty to give enough time to coaches, selectors, trainers and other support staff to prepare for the season? Come on guys, for the sake of Mumbai cricket, wake up and put on your thinking caps, for almost all the associations have already started the process a few weeks ago.âÂ
Meanwhile, MCA secretary Sanjay Naik, in response, revealed that the MCA cannot appoint a coach unless and until they appoint a Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) through the AGM.
âWe would have loved to have Wasim as our coach. However, due to constitutional constraints, we canât appoint a coach unless we appoint a Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) through the Annual General Meeting (AGM),â said MCA secretary Sanjay Naik.
âWe wouldnât like to take shortcuts from the constitution. We would like to follow the constitution to the T. We would always like to take the calls of the General Body as per the constitution.â
