Sport - Cricket

KCA to implement financial code

KOCHI: Beset with allegations of financial irregularities, the Kerala Cricket Association has decided to implement a financial code for all its future transactions.

“Since we are going in for very big infrastructure projects now, we have decided to do this,” said the KCA Secretary T.C. Mathew after the association’s Central Council meeting at the Abad Plaza here on Sunday.

“Our association’s auditors, Verma and Verma, will be involved in this and all our payment vouchers from November 1 will be scrutinised by this financial code.”

The KCA has also appointed Rajendra Prasad, a chartered accountant, as its Chief Financial Officer and now plans to appoint another person as Manager (Projects) to handle the various new projects.

With the national body BCCI asking the KCA to expedite the stadium project in Kochi, the State association has decided to go on a fast track on the issue and a committee has been formed for the purpose.

The new stadium at Thalassery, on a ground which has been taken on a 20-year-lease will be inaugurated on November 16.

The KCA also plans to ban four under-22 cricketers who had given wrong age certificates.

“The initial evidence points that the four — Sachin Baby, Sivapramod, Abdul Samath and Deepak Murali — are in the wrong. They have been asked to come to Thiruvananthapuram to have their say. If it is found true, they will be banned for two years,” said Mr. Mathew.

The BCCI has included two former Kerala captains, S. Ramesh and K. Jayaram, into its match referees panel and former Kerala skipper K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Ajithkumar have been made Ranji umpires, said the KCA secretary while S. Shanker has qualified to the all-India umpires’ panel. — Principal Correspondent

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