Bihar Cricket Association president hails decision

Hailing Indian board's decision of restoring the affiliation to the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA-1935) comprising the states of Bihar and Jharkhand, Lalu Prasad, president BCA and RJD supremo, said it was 'a good development' aimed at promoting cricket.

"It is a good development. The restoration of affiliation to the Cricket Association of undivided Bihar is in the interest of budding cricketers of the two states." Prasad said on Thursday. Prasad, who became the President of BCA formed after a separate Jharkhand state was carved out, said the decision would facilitate the two states to receive fund for promoting cricket. "Now the BCA elections will be held within three months and national and international matches would also be organised at the Moin-ul Haq stadium here with the cooperation of the BCCI." Prasad said he would approach the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI ) to provide fund for the uplift of the Moinul Haq stadium in Patna.

Referring to nine cricketers from Players Association in Bihar being taken into custody when they made attempts to storm into the meeting of the BCCI to seek affiliation to their association in Chennai, Prasad said the boys had gone to Chennai in "over-enthusiasm". They were later released in the evening, he said.

The BCCI had yesterday restored the affiliation of the BCA, which was looking after the state cricket before bifurcation of Bihar in 2000. But the implementation of the decision was subject to the approval by the Jharkhand High Court, which would hear the case filed by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association on September 1, Raj said.

Meanwhile, Ajay Narayan Sharma, then secretary of the BCA, while welcoming the decision, said the players from Bihar had ultimately achieved "a great success" after prolonged struggle for getting affiliation to promote cricket in the state.