da betway： It was with a broad grin and a touch of camaraderie that TA Sekhar,head coach of the MRF Pace Foundation called the press conference atthe MRF house to a close on Friday
Anand Vasu11-Aug-2001It was with a broad grin and a touch of camaraderie that TA Sekhar,head coach of the MRF Pace Foundation called the press conference atthe MRF house to a close on Friday. This time of the year isassociated closely with the Buchi Babu All India invitationtournament. Ever since MRF took over sponsorship of the event fiveyears ago, the pre tournament press conference too has become anannual fixture. The secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association(TNCA), Ashok Kumbhat, said a few words, highlighting MRF’s role inthe event. “TNCA is grateful to MRF and in particular to its ViceChairman and Managing Director KM Mammen (also one of the VicePresidents of the TNCA) who very graciously and spontaneously cameforward to sponsor this tournament,” said Kumbhat.Fifteen teams will take part in the latest edition of the tournament,with New Zealand once again providing theinternational flavour. It is interesting to note that the New Zealand’A’ side, led by Matthew Bell, has in its ranks 13 players who havealready played international cricket. Of the squads already announced,the Mumbai Cricket Association side will field three cricketers withinternational experience including recent India discard Ajit Agarkar.The Cricket Association of Bengal, has Utpal Chatterjee and LaxmiRatan Shukla who have both played for India. The TNCA XI is skipperedby Robin Singh. This gives a fair idea of the quality of playerstaking part in the MRF Buchi Babu tournament.But this is not something new. Former India captain and batting greatSunil Gavaskar always looked forward to playing in the tournament. Notsurprisingly, for the timing is perfect. With the domestic season notyet under way, it gives players a chance to warm up to the sternertests ahead. The only drawback with the timing of course is the factthat August often sees Chennai get a fair bit of rainfall. This hasbeen a major worry for the hosts year after year.”With the weather being what it is throughout the year, we need therains,” said a jovial Sekhar. “But I only hope it doesn’t come downduring the tournament and ruin our hard work,” he added. Justrecently, the MRF team, taking part in the Coromandel Cement Cup inBangalore and Mysore were knocked out of the tournament by the toss ofthe coin after rain disrupted play. Sekhar is keen to ensure that thecoin does not play a big part in deciding matches in the MRF BuchiBabu tournament. “We want to have as much play as possible and thetoss of coin should come into play only when all other options areruled out,” said Sekhar. Along with former India opening batsman WVRaman, Sekhar has done his best to change the playing conditions ofthe MRF Buchi Babu tournament.It was suggested that a bowl out be used to pick a winner if no playhappened in a match. It was further suggested that a limited oversmatch could be played on the third day if the first two days werewashed out. However, for various reasons, the TNCA has decided not toinnovate. Play will consist of three days where a minimum of 95 oversis to be bowled in a day, spread over six and a half hours. Thewinners of the tournament will walk away with Rs 50,000 while therunner-up gets Rs 25,000.If the weather holds, Chennai is in store for some high qualitycricket. Last year’s winners, National Cricket Academy, will be keento make it two in a row, but there are plenty of teams waiting to stopthem in their tracks.Participating teams: National Cricket Academy, Indian Railways,Maharashtra CA, MRF, Hyderabad CA, Mumbai CA, Karnataka CA, NewZealand ‘A’ , TN Districts, All India Associate Banks, Indian Airlines,ONGC, MAC-TNCA XI, Jolly Rovers and Cricket Association of Bengal.