The bifurcated Bihar finally looks towards the "able guidance" of Laloo Prasad Yadav for the development of cricket in the state.

The newly-elected secretary of the Bihar Cricket Association, Ajay Narayan Sharma said on Monday that the election of Yadav as the President of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) was a "great achievement for Bihar cricket."

"Bihar cricket under the able guidance of Laloo Prasad Yadav would achieve in three years what it could not in the last 60 years," Sharma told PTI over phone from his office in Patna.

Yadav, who suddenly developed an interest for the game of cricket, was elected as the President unopposed at the election of the BCA at Jamshedpur on Sunday.

Incidentally the administration of cricket in undivided Bihar had always been controlled from Jamshedpur which used to get all attention. But now the development of cricket in the state would be taken up in earnest and priority would be given in setting up infrastructure in all the districts of Bihar, said Sharma.

The association would strive to set up turf wickets in at least 15 districts within three years, he said adding that as of now, only two districts - Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur - other than Patna had turf wickets.

Cricket academies to hone the skills of budding players of the state would also be set up at these centres, he said.

Sharma, who represented Bihar in the Ranji Trophy from 1973 to 1983 and has been a State selector since the last four years, said Bihar and Jharkhand might play as one team this year as it would be difficult to set up two teams immediately.

Regarding division of funds of the mother association, Sharma said it could be done only after the dispute over which association in Jharkhand gets recognition of BCCI is solved.

The formation of two cricket associations in the newly-formed state -Jharkhand Cricket Association and Cricket Association of Jharkhand - has given rise to a controversy and only of them will finally get recognition.

© PTI