Having decided to support its players on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s contentious ‘whereabouts’ clause, the BCCI has now told the ICC that any negotiations on the issue would be between ICC and WADA, and not with BCCI. India’s top cricketers have refused to accept the international clause requiring sportspersons to disclose their whereabouts in advance.

Board president Shashank Manohar refused to be drawn into stating whether India was once again gearing up for a clash with the sport’s parent body. However, as much as Manohar sought to bring peaceful negotiations to the table, it remains clear that BCCI is treading a path which no other member board of ICC was openly willing to take.

It is not just the Indian players who are apprehensive about WADA’s ‘out-of-competition testing’ clause. Players from other countries too felt equally insecure before signing up. However, it is only the Indian cricketers who have openly spoken about the subject.

“We believe the clause with regard to whereabouts of cricketers is unreasonable for three reasons. First, some (Indian) cricketers have security cover, and when you have such cover, you cannot disclose your whereabouts to a third person. Second, the privacy of individuals cannot be invaded. Third, the Indian constitution guarantees every citizen his privacy,” Manohar said after BCCI’s working committee meeting on Sunday where five senior cricketers — Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh — were present along with ICC officials.

Manohar subsequently also provided a solution to the deadlock in the meeting, certainly the players’ point of view, when he added: “We can appreciate players being tested even when they are not playing. But if ICC or WADA want to test the players, they can inform the board which will get the players at the required location within 24 hours. This is our suggestion.”

A couple of things Manohar said might not find many takers in the international sporting community. He referred to some Indian cricketers having security cover because of which their whereabouts were difficult to divulge. But the biggest names in world sport, like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Lance Armstrong, too have agreed to the same WADA norms. They have done so despite being as apprehensive about it as India’s superstar cricketers.

Setting the stage for a confrontation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India told the International Cricket Council during a meeting in Mumbai on Sunday that it was sticking by its cricketers who have refused to accept an international anti-doping clause requiring sportspersons to disclose their whereabouts in advance.

The move may open a Pandora’s box for ICC as cricketers from other countries too may now demand the right to opt out.

The world body now has little choice but to wait until another round of talks to hammer out a solution. That, however, will not be until early September when ICC officials will meet members of the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA), other world players associations and officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in London.

Sources within BCCI told TOI that the board suggested to the ICC that it snap ties with Wada and create an independent anti-doping agency, specific to cricket. The logic apparently is that BCCI doesn’t expect Wada to relent on the whereabouts clause, especially since even powerful bodies like Fifa (soccer) and ATP (tennis) haven’t been able to make it blink. Wada has already stated that cricket is not above other sports. Some, however, argue that cricket doesn’t really need Wada since it is not an Olympic sport.

Other cricketing nations have agreed to the Wada clause, but are likely to backtrack if they see an exception being made for India. The ICC may thus be left with no option but to go along with BCCI’s stand, especially given that the bulk of the game’s revenues globally are derived from India. However, BCCI officials said on the record that matters had not yet reached such a pass.

Indian cricketers have already missed the first deadline — July 31 — set by Wada to comply with the whereabouts clause.

The World Anti-doping Agency on Sunday expressed its concern over the BCCI’s decision to reject a controversial WADA clause which makes it mandatory for Indian cricketers to be available for out of competition testing.

WADA President John Fahey said that he was concerned of the Indian Board backing its players who objected to the “whereabouts” clause, which requires them to furnish information about their location three months in advance for out of competition tests.

“WADA laments the decision of the BCCI and is concerned by it,” Fahey said.

“WADA expects that Indian cricketers and the BCCI will understand that, as the ambassadors and guardians of their sport, they have a duty to protect its integrity and will see the benefits of cooperating with the ICC to enforce the World Anti-Doping Code like the rest of the world,” he added.

The head of the world anti-doping watchdog tried to drove home the point that the contentious clause was one of the key principles of efficient doping control.

“One of the key principles of efficient doping control is the possibility to test an athlete without advance notice, and athlete whereabouts information is crucial to ensure that surprise effect.

“Out-of-competition doping controls are one of the most powerful means of deterrence and detection of doping … an important step in strengthening athlete and public confidence in doping-free sport,” Fahey added.

The WADA Anti-doping Code has been accepted by 571 sporting organisations, including International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee and International Sports Federation.

This Code has been approved by 191 countries, and also by the UNESCO.

The Indian cricketers have refused to sign the “whereabout” clause which requires them to furnish information about their location three months in advance for out of competition tests, claiming that it infringes on their privacy.