New twist in Indian coach saga

There is a new, almost comical twist, in the Indian coach saga. Sharad Pawar, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has disclosed that Graham Ford, who turned down the job reportedly because he was being offered a one-year contract – too short for his liking, was offered a three-year contract.

Graham Ford was offered the job on June 11, following a session of presentations from him and the other prospective applicant, John Emburey. However, he turned it down, citing his commitments with English county Kent coming in the way. It was widely believed though that he turned down the offer because of the short period he was being offered a contract for, among other reasons.

Pawar, speaking to the Press Trust of India (PTI) after the annual ICC meeting in London, said, “He was offered a three-year contract, which was to be confirmed after the first year.”

Pawar added, “Unfortunately, the person we selected didn’t join. We asked him if he was ready to join. He said it was just a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘whether’ he can join us. He said he wanted to talk to his county and consult them on when he can join us and then he did not join.”

Pawar also said that the board is now looking for another foreign coach, but it would not repeat the mistakes from this saga, which has in the eyes of the media and the public become an embarrassment. However, he did not mention any specific timeframe that the board is looking to hire a new person within.