No peeping into cricketers' life, BCCI rules out change in coverage

New Delhi, Mar 30 (UNI) BCCI today said in clear terms that its television coverage policy stands unchanged and it won't allow any attempt to peep into what the cricketers do before or after the match.

This follows claims by production house Nimbus that BCCI has, in principle, agreed to their proposal of starting the coverage two hours before a match instead of 10 minutes before the game coverage ending with the presentation ceremony.

BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, however, ruled out any such prospect of showing on television what the players do right after they board the team bus and said in a statement that there has been no change in the policy.

''As per the current policy, the BCCI wants to start TV coverage 10 minutes before the match and to finish after the post-match presentation...(the) said policy continues without any relaxation therein.'' ''The BCCI has no plan to allow TV coverage from the point when the players get into the bus nor inside the dressing room area which is under total control of ICC,'' Mr Shah said.

''It is emphasised by the BCCI that such coverage could only distract the mind, attention and concentration of the players and such distraction could neither be in the interest of the players nor in the interest of the game,'' he added.

UNI AY PM KP1507