BCCI Apex Council member Shantha Rangaswamy has written to the Board to revise the hospitalisation reimbursement coverage for feminine cricketers apart from in search of a rule change to make sure “the perfect obtainable staff” for the inaugural Women’s U-19 World Cup next year.
The ICC recently announced that age group World Cup will finally take place next year after it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BCCI sources told PTI that the top brass has received a letter from Rangaswamy covering the existing U-19 rule for women cricketers and the hospitalisation scheme for senior team members.
“BCCI has a policy that in the domestic U-19 tournaments, a player who has played for four years cannot participate in the U-19 championship even if the age is well below 19. This ostensibly has been done to produce more cricketers,” wrote Rangaswamy within the letter which is in PTI’s possession.
From the senior India staff, the likes of Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh will likely be eligible to play the U-19 ICC occasion subsequent 12 months.
“When it involves World Cup, it’s to be ensured that every one those that haven’t accomplished 19 years are made eligible for choice, no matter the variety of years they’ve performed within the home U-19 tournaments.
“Whether this suggests that within the World Cup 12 months, this 4-year rule is relaxed to permit them to play in home match for selectors to observe them play is to be determined.
“As the 4-year rule is primarily meant to permit contemporary crop of gamers to emerge in home cricket, there’s a robust must calm down this rule no less than throughout World Cup 12 months to make all gamers (but to finish 19 years) eligible for India choice with the only goal of placing up the strongest staff. This might kindly be examined and beneficial thought-about,” she said.
Relaxation in medical reimbursement rule
Since no first-class cricket is being held in India for women, Rangaswamy wants the BCCI to relax the 10-match eligibility criteria to claim hospitalisation expenses from the Board. With the focus on white-ball formats, the multi-day domestic event was discontinued after the 2017-18 season.
“BCCI has a reimbursement of hospitalisation expenses up to a maximum of Rs 10 lakh in the entire life time of a player. The scheme stipulates a mandatory norm wherein a player has to have played a minimum of 10 First Class matches to be eligible for this benefit.
“The criteria of TEN First class matches is the same for both men and women cricketers… Women cricketers under the above norm will never be eligible for reimbursement of hospitalisation expenses as they don’t play any three-day games at all,” she wrote.
Rangaswamy needs all India gamers to be coated beneath the scheme no matter the video games they’ve performed.
“In the sunshine of the above anomaly, there’s a robust must revisit/reframe the norms for girls cricketers beneath the hospitalisation reimbursement scheme. I search your permission to put the next factors to your consideration.
“The good intentions of BCCI’s Welfare Measures meant to deal with former gamers won’t see the sunshine of the day except the eligibility standards is modified for girls cricketers.
“I urge this august physique to formulate the coverage as urged above to make sure that the welfare measures permeates/reaches out to girls cricketers of the nation who’ve served the sport effectively of their days,” she added.
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