'Clean cricket instead of asking Srinivasan to resign'

Former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya Wednesday said that instead of demanding the resignation of incumbent N. Srinivasan, the opportunity should be used to clean cricket where "dirt has gone down deep".

"Instead of asking Srinivasan to resign, clean cricket. If people are serious, they should use this opportunity and cricket can be cleaned," Cricket Association of Bengal president Jagmohan Dalmiya told mediapersons here.

"This is a golden opportunity to clean cricket. Dirt in cricket has gone down deep and no one is bothered," said Dalmiya reacting to the raging spot fixing scam that has hit the Indian cricket.

He also rubbished rumours about asking BCCI president N Srinivasan to resign. Following Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's arrest for complicity in the fixing scam, there has been a wide chorus seeking his removal.

"Who am I to say this or that? I have nothing to do. Why will one listen to me?" the former Board of Control for Cricket in India chief asked in reply to a volley of questions on whether he would ask Srinivasan to quit.

"It makes me really allergic. I have not taken sides on Srinivasan resigning or anyone's side. I have not spoken to anyone on the issue, not even Srinivasan. This matter was not discussed in the Saturday dinner party," said the former ICC chief who had hosted Srinivasan at a dinner Saturday on the eve of IPL final in the city.

Dalmiya also refused to give a clean chit to the Indian Premier League.

"Cricket took me to the post of ICC president. I am grateful to the International Cricket Council and nations, nothing wrong happened then. I got so much from world cricket. It pains me all of us are maligned. IPL cannot be given a clean chit."

"If cleaning cricket might mean stopping IPL for a while, maybe it should, I don't know. There are some good things in IPL too. But in all this, don't ignore cleaning cricket as there is a golden opportunity," added Dalmiya.

Dalmiya said Srinivasan has the backing of requisite numbers for his strong stand on not resigning despite the growing clamour for his head.