Azharuddin to Coach Jammu & Kashmir: Abdullah =>Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin could soon return to official cricket fold – not as a player but as a coach. Farooq Abdullah, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association ( JKCA), disclosed on Tuesday that the 50- year- old stylish batsman has agreed to coach the team in the domestic season beginning on October 27. “ I have spoken to Azharuddin and he has accepted it [ the offer]. He is willing to train our boys,” Abdullah told M AIL T ODAY . Azharuddin could not be reached for comment. Azharuddin, who played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs between 1984 and 2000 and is still fit as a fiddle, hasn’t apparently signed a formal contract and when he eventually does that, it will mark his acceptance into the official cricket fraternity after the Andhra Pradesh High Court in November last year declared the match- fixing- related life ban illegal. Abdullah, however, did not say whether Azharuddin would take up the responsibility on a full- time basis or part time. Since he is a member of Parliament, Azharuddin also has to attend Parliament sessions and that would clash with his new coaching assignment. Jammu and Kashmir does not have a coach at the moment after Bishan Singh Bedi, who guided the state Ranji Trophy and under- 22 state teams in the last two years, asked the association to relieve him with one year of his three- year contract remaining. Azharuddin would be replacing the legendary left- arm spinner. Azharuddin, a Member of Parliament from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency, has dabbled in coaching over the years. He coached an England Performance Programme squad in Chennai in December 2007 and had earlier given tips to England batsman Owais Shah, who termed that meeting a “ turning point” in his career. Besides, he regularly coaches his elder son Asaduddin, an aspiring cricketer. In his playing days Azharuddin was one of best fielders in the world and he retains the same fitness and is a regular at the gym. Azharuddin got a shot in the arm when he successfully won the court case against the ban. In 10 hard- hitting points, the court ruled that the BCCI had not adhered to its own constitution while appointing an inquiry commission to probe the match- fixing scandal on the basis of which it had banned Azhar on December 5, 2000. A few days after the twomember High Court bench delivered the landmark order, setting aside the then BCCI disciplinary committee’s decision to ban him for life, the BCCI formally invited him to its annual awards presentation function in Mumbai. However, the same day, November 21, a few officials, who were not even party to the decision to ban him, shied away from welcoming Azharuddin into the fold, citing “ international perception”. At the same time, it is also a fact that the BCCI has not made any move since. Legal experts feel that even if the BCCI decides to appeal the Andhra High Court verdict it would be on shaky wicket as Azharuddin has already served a 12- year ban. “ Moreover, there is no evidence in this case,” said a lawyer. Admin Naseer
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 00:41:17 +0000
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