The Saha episode: Some lessons for PCB from BCCI in the way they protect their players

[MenInG]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on slapped two years ban on Control journalist Boria Majumdar for intimidating wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha.

The issue came to light on February 19 this year, when the 37-year-old Bengal wicketkeeper shared a Twitter post that said: “After all of my contributions to Indian cricket… this is what I face from a so-called ‘Respected’ journalist! This is where journalism has gone.”

Saha also shared screenshots of purported messages that he had received. One of them said: “You did not call. Never again will I interview you. I don’t take insults kindly. And I will remember this.”


==

So the BCCI takes notice of online bullying by a journalist at one of their players and makes an example of the journalist.

In Pakistan we have journalists who are openly hostile towards players but PCB takes no action against them.

Granted that the Indian journalist went overboard but the principle is the same.

Maybe a lesson for PCB here.

 

[Major]

Pcb would rather ban its own player than make enimies in the media

 

[MenInG]

Pcb would rather ban its own player than make enemies in the media

I have to agree.

People like Misbah, Waqar etc have had to hear all sorts of rubbish from so called respected journos for years now.

 

[Energy]

The PCB can't do jack anyway but we will still be reminded of the quotes from Quaid-e-Azam about azaad media on all channels.

 

[MenInG]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday banned senior journalist Boria Majumdar for 2 years for intimidating Wriddhiman Saha. The veteran India wicket-keeper had alleged that he was intimidated by a journalist for not giving an interview.

He revealed all the details to a BCCI committee probing the matter in March earlier this year. Journalist Boria Majumdar in a Twitter video identified himself as the one accused by Saha.

A three-member committee had met Saha in New Delhi to probe into the 37-year-old's allegations against the previously unnamed journalist. "I have told the committee everything I know. I have shared all the details with them.

I can't tell you much right now. BCCI has asked me not to talk about the meeting outside as they will answer all your queries," Saha told reporters after appearing before the committee in New Delhi.

NDTV accessed the BCCI order in which it stated that Majumdar has been banned from getting accreditation as a member of the press in any of the cricket matches (domestic and international) in India. It also stated that Majumdar has been banned for 2 years from interviewing any registered players in India. He has also been banned for 2 years from accessing any BCCI or member associations owned cricket facilities.

A centrally-contracted player, Saha had posted a series of tweets on February 23 to make the charge, following which the BCCI initiated a probe into the matter.

It all began after the 37-year-old was ignored for the home series against Sri Lanka. Saha, in an outburst, revealed some classified dressing room conversations with head coach Rahul Dravid.

He said that he was told by Dravid in South Africa that he was no longer in the scheme of things.

The wicketkeeper-batter also revealed how Chetan Sharma, the chairman of the national selection committee, told him that they were not considering him anymore. Saha has recently been demoted to Group C of the BCCI central contracts list.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/bcc...ears-for-intimidating-wriddhiman-saha-2944987

 

[Rana]

I don’t understand,

The journalist got banned for 2 years for freedom of speech?

 

[Birdman]

I don’t understand,

The journalist got banned for 2 years for freedom of speech?

Freedom of speech is a U.S concept. Also, even in US, freedom of speech is used against the Government. In a private organization Freedom of Speech is not freedom from consequence.

 

[docteurmanish]

I don’t understand,

The journalist got banned for 2 years for freedom of speech?

Not for freedom of speech . But for bullying. Threats to a cricketer is unprofessional.

 

[JaDed]

Well done BCCI to back its own!

 

[Varun]

Boria Majumdar's "ypu" typo nailed him.

 

[Nasty Naz]

I have to agree.

People like Misbah, Waqar etc have had to hear all sorts of rubbish from so called respected journos for years now.

People are free to speak as long as it doesn't cross the line of being threatening, bullying or being derogatory. As long as they stick to the game of cricket, I don't see the issue even though yes, the questions can be incredibly stupid and negative but that's the nature of Pakistan media and well, it's negativity that sells.

 

[MenInG]

People are free to speak as long as it doesn't cross the line of being threatening, bullying or being derogatory. As long as they stick to the game of cricket, I don't see the issue even though yes, the questions can be incredibly stupid and negative but that's the nature of Pakistan media and well, it's negativity that sells.

No there are some personal comments thrown and stories made up also - all damages reputation of Pakistan cricket and its the PCB's job to protect it.

 

[hitthestump]

Under what basis is this ban enforceable? What happens if it is breached?

This decision barely seems worth the paper it's written on.

 

[shariqnoor]

There is a difference between talking rubbish and being threatening and intimidating. Our journalists have been rubbish but I don't recall anybody being threatening to a player to take him to task.

Sikandar Bakht talked a lot of rubbish against Misbah when he was captain but Sikandar never made personal remarks on Misbah or intimidated him.

But yes the overall message remains true that if any journalist is found to have threatened any of our current or ex players, then the PCB should take a leaf out of BCCI's books.

 

[Nasty Naz]

No there are some personal comments thrown and stories made up also - all damages reputation of Pakistan cricket and its the PCB's job to protect it.

Yep, no issues with that. I think media is free to speak anything they like about the coach/player as long as it sticks to cricket as long as its not personal insults. Anything outside of that is foul.

 

[MenInG]

There is a difference between talking rubbish and being threatening and intimidating. Our journalists have been rubbish but I don't recall anybody being threatening to a player to take him to task.

Sikandar Bakht talked a lot of rubbish against Misbah when he was captain but Sikandar never made personal remarks on Misbah or intimidated him.

But yes the overall message remains true that if any journalist is found to have threatened any of our current or ex players, then the PCB should take a leaf out of BCCI's books.

Online bullying has many shapes and forms. If you mount a campaign against a player which starts to effect his game because he is too scared to look up his whatsapp or twitter feed then we have a problem - especially if its coming from a "well respected" journalist.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Under what basis is this ban enforceable? What happens if it is breached?

This decision barely seems worth the paper it's written on.

BCCI runs cricket in India and all players and matches and venues are controlled by bcci. Hence boria can be banned from all of them.

 

[MenInG]

BCCI runs cricket in India and all players and matches and venues are controlled by bcci. Hence boria can be banned from all of them.

He wont be given accreditation to attend matches etc

He is free to write about cricket though.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

There is a difference between talking rubbish and being threatening and intimidating. Our journalists have been rubbish but I don't recall anybody being threatening to a player to take him to task.

Sikandar Bakht talked a lot of rubbish against Misbah when he was captain but Sikandar never made personal remarks on Misbah or intimidated him.

But yes the overall message remains true that if any journalist is found to have threatened any of our current or ex players, then the PCB should take a leaf out of BCCI's books.

Miandad accused Afridi of fixing matches while Afridi was an active player.

Aqib Javed used derogatory language against Misbah, Waqar and PCB not too long ago.

PCB has no spine.

 

[cricketjoshila]

He wont be given accreditation to attend matches etc

He is free to write about cricket though.

I wonder which publication will publish his views and try to rub the bcci the wrong way.

Also he wont be able to interview or talk to any bcci registered cricketer.

News is that he is suing the bcci.

 

[MenInG]

I wonder which publication will publish his views and try to rub the bcci the wrong way.

Also he wont be able to interview or talk to any bcci registered cricketer.

News is that he is suing the bcci.

If he was in Pakistan = YouTube!

 

[MenInG]

I wonder which publication will publish his views and try to rub the bcci the wrong way.

Also he wont be able to interview or talk to any bcci registered cricketer.

News is that he is suing the bcci.

Any source for this?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Well done BCCI. Some of these third grade journalists think of themselves as some kind of superstars lol.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I wonder which publication will publish his views and try to rub the bcci the wrong way.

Also he wont be able to interview or talk to any bcci registered cricketer.

News is that he is suing the bcci.

His career will end now.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Any source for this?

Chatter in the cricketing circles of Bengal. He is very well known here, since the time of Dalmiya.

 

[MenInG]

New Delhi: Things have gone from bad to worse between Wriddhiman Saha and Bengal Cricket Team as the former refused to turn up for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy knockouts and have reportedly left the WhatsApp group of his domestic team.

The Indian Express reported that Saha left the group on Thursday night.

Back in February, Saha decided to skip the Ranji matches and as a result CAB Joint Secretary didn’t took it in good sport.

“Tell me, why should Wriddhi [Saha] not play in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal?” he was quoted by Sangbad Pratidin on Feb 22.

“He is not in the Indian team, why should he not play for Bengal? Then we have to assume that he feels no responsibility towards Bengal. In the past, too, there have been many occasions when he has refused to play for Bengal. When we have spoken to him, he has given all sorts of excuses and skipped games. Sometimes it’s body ache, sometimes he has a pain in his leg”, he further added.

In a recent report by Cricinfo, CAB President Avishek Dalmiya tried to convince the 37-year old, but things didn’t go according to plan.

Romi, Saha’s wife has said that he was extremely ‘hurt’ by Debabrata Das’s statement.

If Saha choose to keep numb and not make any move, CAB will hand over an NoC.

“What to do? If he is that stubborn, we have to give him. But nobody should try to arm-twist the state association, as it is bigger than any individual”, CAB official said to The Indian Express.

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...s-remark-leaves-bengal-whatsapp-group-1023845

 

[MenInG]

Wriddhiman Saha's explosive tweets led to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banning senior journalist Boria Majumdar for two years after they deemed his actions to be "in the nature of threat and intimidation". The veteran wicketkeeper-batter had alleged that he was intimidated by a journalist for not giving an interview and shared a screenshot of his chat. At the time, he had not named the journalist, but once BCCI began its official probe into the matter, Boria Majumdar identified himself as the one accused by Saha on his Youtube channel.

Saha has now opened up about why he had decided to speak up about the incident in the first place.

"My purpose was to show the world that there are journalists who can do such things to get an interview," Saha said in an interview with Sports Today.

"But I got to know later that he has done such things before as well, that is why BCCI stepped in and punished him," he added.

Saha said that he initially did not want to go public with the incident as "everyone has their own career" but said a lack of regret from the other side meant he couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"I initially didn't feel like speaking about it, because at the end of the day, everyone has their own career. But if the other person doesn't even have any regret, how long can you stay silent?" Saha said.

NDTV had accessed the BCCI order in which it stated that Majumdar has been banned from getting accreditation as a member of the press in any of the cricket matches (domestic and international) in India. It also stated that Majumdar has been banned for 2 years from interviewing any registered players in India. He has also been banned for 2 years from accessing any BCCI or member associations owned cricket facilities.

NDTV