Al Barkaat play IES New English (Bandra) in the Harris Shield final at Bombay Gymkhana, while their U-14 Giles Shield matches will be held at Oval and Cross Maidan
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Al Barkaat MMI (Kurla), the defending champions of the U-16 inter-school cricket Harris Shield, are up in arms over the Mumbai Schools Sports Association's (MSSA) decision to conduct this year's three-day final on January 8 when their coaches will be involved in the Giles Shield tournament around the same time (January 7-8 and 10-11). Al Barkaat play IES New English (Bandra) in the Harris Shield final at Bombay Gymkhana, while their U-14 Giles Shield matches will be held at Oval and Cross Maidan.
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Al Barkaat made a request for a change in Giles Shield dates, but the MSSA turned it down. MSSA cricket secretary Nadim Memon said the teams were informed about the Harris final a month in advance and since the booking of grounds is controlled by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), MSSA cannot reschedule the final. "The coaches were aware of final dates so there is no question of a date-change," insisted Memon.
Al Barkaat's school co-ordinator Imran Karnekar indicated that scheduling matches simultaneously affects coaches in a big way. "The MSSA authorities do not understand the nuances in managing two teams playing crucial matches at the same time.
They did not consider our date-change request. MSSA must keep their personal issues aside and think about the future of young cricketers. The coaches who take care of teams, work on an honorary basis and are not available all the time. Also, these matches are crucial when it comes to selecting the Mumbai age group teams," Karnekar told mid-day.
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