Shillong, Nov 3: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC)Sports Cell has strongly condemned the Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) over the reported replacement of Meghalaya’s playing XI for the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Nagaland.
The condemnation comes amid the ongoing power tussle within the MCA between President James PK Sangma and the Apex Council, which saw the Apex Council-picked squad being replaced on the field following a Meghalaya High Court order.
HYC Sports Cell Chairman Franky Kharumnuid said the incident is an embarrassment to Meghalaya’s sporting fraternity.
“It is heartbreaking to see players being humiliated and sidelined allegedly due to internal differences and factional politics within the association,” Kharumnuid said in a press statement.
“Cricket should be decided on the field, not in boardrooms. The MCA office bearers are custodians of the game, not owners of the game of cricket in Meghalaya,” he said.
Kharumnuid said such actions destroy players’ morale and tarnish the state’s reputation in the national sporting arena, putting careers and dignity of cricketers at stake.
The HYC Sports Cell has urged the BCCI to take cognisance of the matter and ensure that the interests of Meghalaya’s cricketers are protected.
