An Interview with Syed Ashraful Huq, Chief Executive, Asian Cricket Council, taken during the final of the ACC U-15 Elite Cup 2007. The interview is centered around the disqualification of seven teams for fielding the overage players.
NepalCricket.com: What are your views regarding the ongoing ACC U-15 Elite Cup in Nepal?
Syed Ashraful Huq: The tournament is very good and well organized. The two grounds I have seen are good. There is lots of enthusiasm here, and the crowds are very good. I am encouraged and I think Nepal has a good future in cricket. I haven’t any complaints on the organization and Nepal is a viable venue for a range of future tournaments. There are maybe a few things that could have been done better, but it’s a learning experience and they will do it better next time, I am sure.
NepalCricket.com: What is the ACC’s stand on the disqualification of seven teams from the tournament?
Syed Ashraful Huq: It is a matter of principle. When we have age-group tournaments we have to ensure that the correct age-group plays. There is a lot of difference between a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, physically and skill-wise. It’s unfair for a child under-15 to play against somebody who is 17 or 18 in a tournament which is specifically designed for fifteen-year olds. We must ensure that a level playing field is given to all the teams in the age-group tournaments. Our primarily responsibility is to the players and their parents.
We want them to enjoy their cricket in an environment where their competitive skill is not disadvantaged in any way. In the bigger picture, the integrity of the tournament is at stake. Age-group tournaments are just that – only for the age-group in question.
For these reasons, we have introduced this rigorous age-verification program. We want to verify that the players representing their countries are the true age. Our method is tried, tested and proven – so we stand by the results. It’s unfortunate that so many teams have been disqualified this time. There were teams with nine, eight and seven over-age players and this is wrong.
The players should be truthful about their ages; their parents should be truthful about it. It’s unfortunate that many parents bring down the ages to give their children more opportunities on and off the field. What we have done in not allowing any players who are found to be too old to play in this tournament is a matter of principle. We are playing by the rules. If a player is out, he’s out. That’s’ cricket. As you can see, that has meant the tournament which started with ten teams didn’t end up with ten but that doesn’t matter to us as administrators because we want to see fair play. We cannot nd will not allow rules to be broken and then overlook them. We are trying to establish a system and we have to do this.
NepalCricket.com: What have been the reactions to the ACC’s principles?
Syed Ashraful Huq: I have got very encouraging telephone calls and e-mails from high-up people of the cricket-world. Many have congratulated us for being so bold and straight forward. To the neutral it is very clear that when playing-rules are not followed a team should be disqualified.
NepalCricket.com: Why did the ACC disqualify teams during the event? Many are saying it should have been done before or after the tournament.
Syed Ashraful Huq: I am glad you asked me this. We have been sending emails to all the countries three months ago telling them to get the players ready, send us the necessary medical information, and then neutral doctors would assess the scans. It’s not possible for us to send somebody to all the countries to do it. Nepal did it, they found all 20 players overage; the second time they did it, with the same results.
They wanted to do it third time but were left without time. Let me just say here that when the doctors look at the medical information they have no idea who the players are or where they’re from. To the doctors it is just data, which they look at as scientists.
We asked all the countries to send us the players’ data well in advance of the tournament start on November 25, but none of them complied; none of them sent us the data. They select the team late and arrive in Nepal hoping that they have players who are able to play in the ACC U-15 Elite Cup.
Whose fault is it? It is not our fault; it’s their fault. It’s an international tournament, the players are playing for their country. It should be a highlight of a young man’s life but they are put forward either by themselves or their parents to the boards and the boards then do not do the necessary things to ensure the players who play for them will be the right age.
The boards could say they are part-timers; not professional, but we give them enough grants to do all these things.
As for announcing the results of the doctors’ findings after the tournament finishes and thus holding a fake U-15 tournament knowing that players are over-age is an impossibility. I cannot believe anyone in their right mind would even suggest it! The basic principle is this – an U-15 tournament has to have the players of the right-age group.
NepalCricket.com: Since ACC hasn’t named the over-age players, wouldn’t it put unnecessary psychological pressure on the honest players?
Syed Ashraful Huq: The boys aren’t complaining. It is the boards who are complaining! The boards are the ones who are feeling the pressure. We are not in the job of assigning blame. The players ages have been verified, they are in their countries’ and our database and in future age-group tournaments they will be able to participate if selected by their countries based on their ability and they are the right age.
NepalCricket.com: Are you confident that this will not happen again in the future?
Syed Ashraful Huq: It entirely depends on the boards and parents of the boys. But I am hopeful because this has been an eye-opener. There is no point becoming the U-15 champions with U-17 players. It’s nothing but cheating.
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Good job!