Time BCCI adopted BCB's model on professionalism

Chittagong, May 14 (UNI) BCCI may have a vast experience of running the game besides its immense financial clout but the big brother can take a leaf out of the book of the much younger Bangladesh Cricket Board as far as professionalism is concerned.

A look into the BCB administration and it becomes evident that the Bangla board is overlaid with professionalism. That has an obvious reflection on the team as it walks into the field. It's a sorry affair that their inexperience got the better of their gameplan.

But back to cricket administration. The first thing you notice about the Indian camp is that there is no access. No one is accessible. The coach/manager and captain are not accessible because of the rules of the tour. Granted. But team manager Surinder Bhave is by and large conspicuous by his absence.

So much so that in the last eight days he was seen some three times interacting with the media. A senior journalist from India says, ''Who do we talk to if we need some information? This is ridiculous.'' The only time any information comes in is when skipper Rahul Dravid or cricket manager Ravi Shastri does a press meet. So when Manoj Tewari was injured it took the journalists on tour to contact their Mumbai office to know that he had been adviced rest. This is because Mr Bhave was not reachable anywhere. The same happened after Sreesanth pulled a cuff muscle.

In contrast Bangladesh Cricket Board has a website www.tigercricket.com. The site is smart, professional, updated regularly and has every possible news about Bangladesh cricket in it.

Rabeed Imam, editor of the site and a former journalist with Daily Star and Wisden, while talking to UNI, said, ''Our idea was to make it a one window stop for Bangladesh cricket where everything will be found. It is not yet half of what we want it to be.'' Indeed the half is gorgeous enough to send any professional body spinning around for a share of that cake.

The links include Latest news, New Article, National League Results, Premier League Results, Features and Articles, Photo Gallery and Contacts. This is not all. There is Home, BSB, Domestic, Development, Venues and TFC.

Is there anything else that a journalist or a cricket lover needs to know about a nation's cricket? Not really.

Rabeed, who is the media manager for Bangladesh and available anytime of the day, said, ''The Board wants to run itself in a corporate manner. Things have changed. There is accountability for everything. The selectors are payed people who have been appointed on basis of their experience and a capability. No one can become a selector. And the term is for two years with a maximum two tenure life.'' He is the person who tells us when India will practice for there is no communique from the Indian side. And anything you want to know about Bangladesh cricket is already there on the website. And the rest come pronto through e-mails if there is any single development.

When asked how does he manage to do so much to do so much together, he said, ''A journalist knows what media requires.'' UNI