On Friday, former India skipper, Mohammad Azharuddin was appointed as the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). The flamboyant cricketer received 173 votes while his opponent Prakash Chand Jain got 73 votes. His entire panel won their respective contests. This victory also marks his official entry into cricket administration after his nomination was rejected on technical grounds.
Azharuddin also had served as an MP from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and during his captaincy days led India to Test series wins over England, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at home in the 1990s. His cricketing career came to an end after the 2000 match-fixing scandal that shook the core of Indian cricket.
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The operative part of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which investigated the case in their report stated: “The evidence against Azharuddin … clearly establishes the fact that he took money from bookies/punters to fix cricket matches and also the fact that the ‘underworld’ had approached him to fix matches for them.”
Azharuddin had filed his nomination for the president’s post in the HCA last week. He started his career with a hat-trick of Test centuries against England during the 1984/85 season. He was known for his wristy stroke-play and he can possibly be termed as the best all-round fielder those days whose reflex single action throw from close-in could only be replicated by Ravindra Jadeja among current cricketers. Also, the unmatched swagger with his collar-up and the manner in which he spoke had its own charm.
The last of his 22 Test centuries came against South Africa in his 99th and final match after which he was accused of match-fixing. While his fall was quick, he faced quite a few problems during his redemption, including personal tragedy, and controversies that never seemed to leave him.
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By 2016, Azhar was gradually getting acceptance in the system and would get invitations for various BCCI gatherings, including the annual awards night. As the top representative of Hyderabad CA, he will now become relevant as the N Srinivasan camp and its rivals fight for power in BCCI.
