After having been accused of using its clout to get Harbhajan Singh off the hook recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now locked in a tussle with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the appointment of former BCCI president Inderjit Singh Bindra as CEO to replace current incumbent Malcolm Speed.

With the ICC declaring Bindra as “ineligible” as his age is over 60, sources said BCCI president Sharad Pawar has questioned this decision and expressed “concern” to acting ICC president Ray Mali. Pawar is said to have argued that although the ICC may have a 60-year limit for ICC staff, there is no such bar for “senior positions.”

The BCCI has also opposed the ICC’s contention that the law applicable in Dubai — where the ICC has its headquarters — does not allow appointment of persons over 60 years to director-level positions. The BCCI is learnt to have asked for “documentary proof” of this rule.

Bindra has been a crucial player in the scheme of things for Pawar who is slated to be the ICC chief during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In fact, Bindra was in Australia during the row over Harbhajan Singh and his presence was seen as a major factor behind the Harbhajan decision.