Spin quartet may get Nayudu award

In a departure from tradition, the Board of Control for Cricket in India may confer its highest award to four people. The Hindu reports that the Cricket Association of Bengal has proposed that the Colonel CK Nayudu award for 2004 be given to the famed spin quartet of the 1970s comprising BS Chandrasekhar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, as president of the CAB, suggested that the spin quartet be given the award since this year marks the 75th anniversary of the board, and Platinum Jubilee celebrations are on. Each member of the quartet is certainly a worthy candidate - Prasanna (49 Tests, 189 wkts), Chandrasekhar (58 Tests, 242 wkts), Venkataraghavan (57 Tests, 156 wkts) and Bedi (67 Tests, 266 wkts) - but the novel idea of giving the award jointly makes it all the more special.

Other cricketers nominated for this year's award include Abbas Ali Baig (nominated by Hyderabad), Anandji Dossa, the statistician and scorer (Rajasthan), MD Mirza (Jammu & Kashmir) and Vasant Ranjane, the fast-medium bowler (Maharashtra). The Bihar Cricket Association has separately nominated Prasanna for the award and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has forwarded the name of Venkatraghavan.

The CK Nayudu award is given away annually and carries a cash purse of Rs 200,000.