Committee of Administrators tells BCCI to review lifetime achievement award conferred on late cricketer Pankaj Roy

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to review the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award to Pankaj Roy due to board’s policy of not giving the award posthumously. [caption id=“attachment_4436641” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] According to a report in The Indian Express, the issue was raised by BCCI general manager (game development) Ratnakar Shetty in a letter addressed to BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, CoA member Diana Edulji, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and general manager (cricket operations) Saba Karim. In the letter, Shetty wrote, “I would like to draw your attention to an important point with respect to the awards since its inception. It was decided in the first meeting that BCCI shall not bestow the CK Nayudu award posthumously. If you see the list of awardees till last year, it does not include the names of greats like Vijay Merchant, Vinoo Mankad etc.” Shetty went on to add that the board decided that contribution of cricketers who are no more will be remembered by presenting a special award during BCCI functions. Based on the letter, CoA has sought explanation from CEO Johri and Karim. Pankaj Roy was conferred the lifetime achievement award by the BCCI’s awards committee, comprising of board’s acting president CK Khanna, Choudhary, and chairman of The Hindu Group N Ram. Apart from Roy, the committee also chose former India batsman and national coach, Anshuman Gaekwad, Edulji and Sudha Shah as the recipients of lifetime award. However, Edulji declined the award, saying that since she is a CoA member, won’t be appropriate for her to accept it. Roy played 43 Tests for India from 1951 to 1960, and scored 2,422 runs at an average of 32.56. A prolific opener, Roy was involved in a record-breaking partnership with Vinoo Mankad as they added 413 runs for the first wicket against New Zealand at Chennai in 1956. It remains India’s highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket and was also a world record for any opening stand until South Africa’s Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie put on 415 against Bangladesh at Chittagong in February 2008.