Pataudi lecture: Chaudhary slams choice of Pietersen

BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary on Friday fired a fresh salvo after Kevin Pietersen was picked to deliver the Annual MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture during its awards function in Bengaluru on June 12.

While Chaudhary had earlier expressed his strong reservations at the panel that was shortlisted (Kumar Sangakkara, Nasser Hussain, Sourav Ganguly and Kevin Pietersen), he is livid with GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim for ignoring the names of Indian stalwarts.

Chaudhary had suggested the names of Erapalli Prasanna, Abbas Ali Baig, Nari Contractor -- all of whom have played alongside Tiger.

The acting secretary in an email took a sarcastic dig at former India stumper Karim after the latter in an email said that "he was happy to announce that Kevin Pietersen has agreed and confirmed to deliver the MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture."

"GM (Cricket Operations) expression of happiness on it had left me wondering on whether the Memorial Lecture was indeed MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture or Sir Len Hutton Lecture or for that matter Frank Woolley Memorial lecture," Chaudhary wrote with reference to former England legends.

The former Jharkhand top cop expressed his dismay that Karim didn't follow-up on his suggestions and didn't communicate on the subject.

The acting secretary accused Karim of not disclosing his suggestions with the CoA and making the decision in a unilateral manner.

"Unable to stomach the ease with which the significance of the lecture was being derailed, as also the fact that GM (Cricket Operations) had solicited our views in his email, I wrote an earnest email to attempt rectification, if possible."