Cash bonanza awaits Indian selectors

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has moved within one step of professionalising the national selection panel with its finance committee clearing a proposal to pay the selectors, so far honorary, a match fee beginning from Pakistan's tour of India in November.

Under the proposal, which is expected to be ratified by the BCCI's working committee, each of the five selectors will receive a match fee of Rs 50,000 (US$ 1262) per Test in addition to a daily allowance of Rs 15,000, taking their total earning from a Test to Rs 125,000 (US$ 3156). For one-day matches, the fee will be Rs 65,000 (US$ 1641). Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, told Cricinfo that the new system was likely to be implemented as early as next month.

Currently, the selectors, who attend Tests and one-dayers at home, are paid only a daily allowance. Only one selector accompanies the team on tours.

Reforming the selection committee, which is chosen on a zonal basis, has been a long-pending issue before the BCCI. John Wright, India's first professional coach, had singled out the selection process as one of the weakest aspects of Indian cricket.

While the zonal system is expected to stay, making the selectors professional is seen as the first step towards accountability. It remains to be seen, though, if the board will abandon its policy of nominating selectors and invite applications from suitable candidates when the terms of some of the members of the existing committee, headed by Dilip Vengsarkar, expires.