Selection cartel in DDCA must end: CAC chairman Atul Wassan

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali New Delhi, Dec 4 : For former India pacer Atul Wassan, December comes with bitter-sweet memories vis-a-vis Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). Exactly a year after he was removed as chairman of the senior selection committee, he was appointed chairman of the DDCA’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) on Friday. Letting the past behind him, he now wants to “layout a roadmap” for Delhi cricket for at least one-and-a-half years, and end a “selection cartel” that appeases clubs.
The CAC, interestingly, comprises three former India pacers, Robin Singh (junior) and Parvinder Awana being the others. DDCA president Rohan Jaitley has appointed the committee.
Wassan, 52, said he would present his roadmap to Jaitley when he meets him soon and would try and ensure that appeasement in selection is done away with. Besides, he would like to revitalise the system with a long-term view.
“There is no structure in Delhi; there is no proper year-round cricket system in place. And there is no in-house DDCA academy, and in its absence talented boys can’t train all-year round. I have a roadmap and I would like to implement it, if allowed. I will present it to Rohan, and he understands that,” Wassan told IANS.
Wassan, who played four Tests and nine One-day Internationals in 1990-91, seems most annoyed with interference in selection matters, something that he said he experienced as chairman of the Delhi selection committee last season.
“Delhi’s selection system is too myopic. The system of appeasement of clubs has to stop; this cartel has to end. Selectors often pick players to please clubs. What is also happening these days is that the DDCA asks clubs to send a few names for selection trials,” he said.