BCCI Turns TV on Crowd Hooligans

Wed, Nov 13, '02

In a last-ditch effort to squash hooliganism during the India-West Indies one day series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has installed closed-circuit TVs at the stadiums in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Jodhpur and Vijayawada -- the venues for the remaining matches.

With a threat from the ICC to withdraw international status from unruly venues, a rattled BCCI directed the staging centres of the remaining four one-dayers to take effective security measures to check rogue elements.

Although the Board is maintaining that there is no question mark over the remainder of the series, it has asked the staging centres to take all possible precautionary emasures to avoid crowd trouble which has marred all the three matches so far.

In addition to closed circuit televisions, the BCCI has promised to beef up police presence at the venues.

Local organisers must also ensure that the police properly search each spectator so that none could enter with objects like bottles and firecrackers which could be used as potential missiles.

The International Cricket Council's threat to withdraw international status from venues which fail to meet security guidelines has put the Board under more pressure as it made a desperate attempt to restore cricketing sanity.

Separately, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) expressed concern for the safety of players and demanded certain assurances from the BCCI. WICB boss Wes Hall said he is awaiting word from a meeting between match referee Mike Proctor and team manager Ricky Skerritt.

"I am satisfied with the International Cricket Council's position that the match referee Mike Procter will convene a meeting with the BCCI and Skerritt on the way forward and I think this meeting will help to alleviate the problems," Hall said in a statement.