Sarfaraz returns to Mumbai from UP

MUMBAI: Three years after he left Mumbai to play for Uttar Pradesh, leaving many observers surprised, Sarfaraz Khan has returned to the city. On Monday, the talented 20-year-old batsman submitted a No Objection Certificate from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), along with a letter expressing his willingness to play for Mumbai again.


Khan, though, will not be picked for the Mumbai senior team this Ranji season, as he has to serve the mandatory cooling-off period of one year. It's learnt that the youngster, who plays for

Royal Challengers Bangalore

in the IPL, had recently declined an offer from Indian Navy to join them and thus be eligible to play for the Services team as he was keen to play for Mumbai again. "Three years back, he wasn't mature, and left for UP because of his father's advice. However, he now has a mature head on his shoulders, and knows the value of playing for a top team like Mumbai," said a source close to him.

Parsee Secy meets CoA

Meanwhile, armed with a 'protest letter' in which he claimed to have the signatures of 38 members of the

Mumbai Cricket Association

(MCA) asking for an Extraordinary Special General Meeting (EGM) for removing the selectors, Khodadad Yazdegardi, vice-president and

cricket

secretary of Parsee Gymkhana, met the Committee of Administrators (CoA) at the association's office on Monday.

The

Bombay High Court

appointed CoA comprises of retired judges Hemant Gokhale and VM Kanade. "We had a representation from him. We'll look into it," said a top MCA official.

Yazdegardi, and the clubs supporting his campaign, want the selectors sacked as they feel that a few 'deserving players' like Shubham Ranjane (scored close to 2000 runs last season), Bravish Shetty, Raunaq Sharma and Shashank Singh, who have all done well in local cricket, were left out from a pre-season camp by Mumbai's senior team selectors, who are led by former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar. Even experienced allrounder Iqbal Abdulla, who has completed his one-year cooling period after returning from Kerala, didn't find a place in that list.

After meeting the CoA, Yazdegardi was confident that the MCA will call for an SGM before August 20 to do the needful. "I had a 50-minute meeting with them. I've handed over the letter with 38 signatures. I told them that my grievance is that they haven't watched a single (local) match for the whole season. Once you're appointed as a selector, it's your duty to watch at least the semis and the finals of the major tournaments in Mumbai. It's from these events that players are picked for the Mumbai team. The selectors completely failed on this count," Yazdegardi said.