The Daily Mail immediately dubbed Lalit Modi, the commissioner of Indian Premier League, as crass and insensitive when despite the blasts taking place in Mumbai he announced that the Test between England and Team India will take place next month, the venue now being changed to Chennai. He said that he was confident that the England cricket team who had left one day’s two matches unplayed will return for the test matches.
The tabloid did not spare any thoughts when it said that Modi was trying to make it impossible or the England team to make their escape as he had made the above statement to BBC and SKY. It also accused Lalit Modi as the man who was trying to take over the game and the man who pulls the strings. It also complained that Lalit Modi was trying to cause maximum disruption to England and that he had the ECB Chairman Giles Clarke under his thumb.
The Daily Telegraph also called Modi a man with a single minded character who does not like to see anyone or anything disrupting his plans not even human disaster unfolding in Mumbai. Both the papers were of the same opinion that Modi is only concerned with the financial after effects of the terror strikes.
Guardian was more circumspect in saying that millions were at stake and powerful figures in BCCI have so much on stake that they will ensure that IPL matches take place as per schedule. The Independent however praised Modi as being the most influential and single most cricket administrator in the world and said that was very sensitive and gracious for once.
Lalit Modi, like most of the BCCI officials is a greedy businessman. All they know and can see is money and more money.
Jayanta I think its not all about money, if this time cricket control lobby back out from the tournament, it will widen the gap. I hope you remember the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, which sadly set the stage for heightened militancy in the state. lets not repeat the blunder made by late PM V. P. Singh’s government ...
I agree. There is more than money at stake here. Modi may be an opportunist and time is money, as the cliche goes, but there are more perceptible dangers should matters turn into a stalemate.
