India cricketer Parvez Rasool accused of stealing pitch roller
In a bizarre case, out-of-favour India cricketer Parvez Rasool has been accused of stealing a pitch roller by the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). Rasool, the valley’s veteran all-rounder who has played one ODI and one T20I for India, was issued a notice by the JKCA regarding the same.
The cricket association has asked one of its most experienced cricketers to return the roller or be liable to face “police action”. Aghast by the allegation of stealing, Rasool denied the claim and even wrote to the JKCA, accusing the board of indifferential treatment.
“Today I got a letter stating that I have taken roller from JKCA which is really unfortunate… Let me clarify that I haven’t taken any roller or machine from JKCA,” Rasool wrote in his response dated July 26, as per a report in the Indian Express.
“I am a player who is playing cricket. I just want to ask is this the way to treat international cricketer who has given life and soul to J&K cricket. You have an affiliated body in all districts; you should ask them for any JKCA equipment if present in their districts rather than me.”
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Parvez Rasool left bitterly disappointed after misplaced accusation of roller stealing.
Accusations of roller stealing on Parvez Rasool, a massive communication error
But it is understood, Parvez Rasool’s name has only found itself in the midst of the controversy because of a glaring communication loophole within the J&K cricket fraternity.
Speaking to Indian Express, Brigadier (retd) Anil Gupta, part of the three-member sub-committee that has been appointed by the BCCI to run cricket in Jammu & Kashmir, said that the mail pertaining to the roller was written to Rasool only because the mail addresses of all the district associations were not available and the player’s name was part of the JKCA register for his district.
“We have not only written to Parvez Rasool but to all district associations and whosoever has taken JKCA machinery from Srinagar,” Gupta cleared the air. “Machinery was distributed at district associations without any vouchers. In many districts where we don’t have a mailing address, the letter was sent to the concerned person whose name was registered with us. He (Rasool) took offence to why the mail was written to him.”
“We did this because we want to prepare an audit report, a ledger book needs to be maintained. There is hardly any book maintained here over the years. So when we took over after the court’s order, we saw that these machinery are not being found,” he added.
Parvez Rasool comes from Bijbehara in Anantnag district, where the spin bowling all-rounder was the second person to receive that mail notice after Mohammad Shafi. What would’ve further caused huge disappointment for Rasool is the mention of “police action” in the mail after being sent a notice that wasn’t even supposed to be read by him.
“You are holding machinery of JKCA… Before taking any harsh step in the direction which may include inviting police action for breach of trust and in order to maintain cordial relationship, you are directed to immediately return all machinery within one week failing which JKCA will be free to take action,” the mail read, as revealed by the Indian Express.
Gupta, however, stated that the “police action” was mentioned as part of the warning by JKCA in the second notice as “some of the districts feel that they can get away with anything and nothing will happen to them.”
Rasool is the only Jammu & Kashmir cricketer to represent India at the highest level to date. The 32-year-old has played 82 first-class and 123 List A games with a strong body of work in either department. He has also played the Indian Premier League (IPL) for now-defunct Pune Warriors and the immensely popular Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).