We were threatened with isolation: Dalmiya

It would appear on the face of it that Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) President Jagmohan Dalmiya has once again managed to put into use all his powers of persuasion at the ICC Executive Committee meeting held here yesterday.

Fighting off what he claimed were unsurmountable odds, including the threat of isolation to the Indian cricketers, Dalmiya won a last minute reprieve from the ICC Executive Committee.

Speaking at a press briefing after a strenuous round of talks yesterday Dalmiya said, "Definitely all the countries have signed or are going to sign the player contract for the ICC Champions Trophy.

"Bar one: India. The pressure on the BCCI from other members was tremendous. At one stage it was even proposed that if India was not playing then they should be isolated. This was suggested by a member country and it was recommended that a notice should be put on the motion for the next meeting.

"I, however, made it quite clear that we are trying to convince our players to compromise on their stance. We are not trying to belittle member nations and neither do we want the matter to precipitate."

In claiming to lobby for the Indian cricketers, the cream of whom endorse tier one multinational products based in India, Dalmiya tried to convince the ICC that, "The Indian cricketers face a typical situation in that they have their own personal commitments to sponsors and in doing so they are committed.

"Therefore, how can they be in breach of it? So somewhere a pre-existing contract which is already in place between the players and their sponsors has got to be looked into. I think that I have managed to convince them of this and if everything goes fine it will be given its due consideration."

In buying time from the ICC the BCCI President stated that he "had used whatever wisdom there was at my command. Hopefully the points raised by me have been appreciated.

"We are hopeful that this will give the players time to discuss their problems. They will realise that other teams have agreed to sign and they are not going to give away their rights by signing the contract... I will talk to them."

Dalmiya, a former ICC President, conceded that this was not the time to "be confrontational.

After all cricket is being played. We have taken our stance in the past but we do not need to take it here. You do not need to fight always... you need to come to the negotiating table. I have been saying this to the players, but I needed an assurance from the ICC which they gave me."

Stating that he was willing to go to "the moon or even Timbuctoo to meet the Indian cricketers," Dalmiya insisted however that nothing would currently be achieved by his visit to England.

But if everything else failed the BCCI supremo, a master manipulator who has fluctuated from being a hero to villain in the last month refused to rule out sending a second string squad to Colombo.

"India is a great country," he sermonised. "An Indian team cannot go there (Champions Trophy) by default. So we have to keep a 'B' team in mind. We have identified the players who are willing to go. We have to make sure that the best available team will go...this is what everybody wants."

And so saying, he lived to fight another day.