In a major step to ensure fairness in junior cricket, the Control Board for Cricket in India (BCCI) has updated its Age Verification Program (AVP). This decision was recently taken to prevent age-fooding during the Apex Council meeting, which has disturbed junior cricket for years.
The biggest change is that young players will now be allowed to conduct a second bone test if needed. So far, only one-time exam was allowed for boys aged 14 to 16 and girls between 12 and 15 years of age, and this test would decide their future in BCCI’s age-level tournament.
BCCI modifies age test policy to curb age fraud in junior cricket
In the previous system, BCCI used an X-ray scan to examine the age of a player’s bone. Then, they would add a year to the player to get the player’s ‘mathematical era’, which was used to determine whether the player was eligible to play in the U-16 or U-19 tournament.
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For example, if the age of a boy’s bone is found to be 14.8 years, his mathematical age will be counted as 15.8 years, which means that he is eligible to play in the U-16 category for that season. But at the same time, the same player would not be eligible to play next year, even though his actual age was still less than 16 according to official documents.
It often creates disappointment and confusion between players and parents, especially for those who were actually within the age limit. With the new rule allowing a second test, the board is expected to offer a more accurate and fair process, which gives a better chance to compete qualified players.
BCCI allows second bone test to ensure fairness in junior cricket
In a new update, the BCCI will now allow junior players to conduct a second bone test if their official documents show that they are still under cut-off age. This change will help those cricketers who were incorrectly marked due to bone testing limitations.
Well, bone testing is based on science, but they are not always 100% accurate, so the board is giving real youth talents another chance to prove their eligibility and continue to play in the age-group tournament through another test.
The Indian Cricket Board has taken this step after years of problems with age fraud in junior cricket. Many players have been found to lie about their age to get unfair advantage. In some shocking cases, even the parents tried to cheat the system by sending younger brothers and sisters for a bone test, pretending to be a player.
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Players will have to submit Aadhaar card for bone test
The BCCI took strong action against such fraud and introduced strict rules to stop it. Indian Cricket BCCI made it mandatory for all players to submit an Aadhaar card with a photo recently before taking bone tests to make this process more secure and fair.
This process will ensure that only the right player undergoes bone test.
The age of bone is tested every year, usually in July and August, when board officials travel to each state. Testing is officially conducted in approved hospitals, and each state gets a time slot. On average, about 40–50 boys and 20–25 girls are tested in each state.
