A ray of hope for Ganguly

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly can make it to the opening Test against South Africa at Kanpur starting on Saturday. The ray of hope came afte...

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly can make it to the opening Test against South Africa at Kanpur starting on Saturday. The ray of hope came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) today suspended its two-Test ban on Ganguly, adding that the Indian captain would be permitted to play international cricket pending the outcome of the appeal.

This comes a day after the BCCI protested against match referee Clive Llyod’s decision to pull up Ganguly for slow over-rates during the ODI against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Speaking after the ICC announcement, BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra said ‘‘it’s good news’’, adding that the BCCI would do the needful ‘‘immediately’’.

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Ganguly himself spoke to reporters in Kolkata, saying ‘‘the situation will be cleared in the next two days and hopefully things will be sorted out’’.

In the next step the ICC legal counsel Urvasi Naidoo will appoint a member from the ICC Code of Conduct Committee in the next day or two to probe the case. An ICC spokesperson informed The Indian Express that the appointed member might take seven days and to take a decision, though there chances of a decision being made much earlier.

What this means is that Ganguly will be available for selection for the Kanpur Test against South Africa unless the commissioner agrees with match referee Clive Lloyd’s decision, or decides on a one-Test ban before the start of the match (Nov 20).

The ICC spokesperson also clarified that if the decision comes during the course of the Kanpur Test, it would have effect from India’s next Test match in Kolkata.

(With agency inputs)

Naidoo’s choices

		Urvasi Naidoo became the ICC’s first in-house lawyer (and company secretary) in April 2002 and is going to choose a member of the ICC Code of Conduct Committee to hear the Sourav Ganguly case. Michael Beloff is the chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commitee, which also includes Richie Benaud (Australia), Sir Oliver Popplewell (England), NKP Salve (India), Tim Castle (New Zealand), Justice Dr Nasim Hasan Shah (Pakistan), Justice Albie Sachs (South Africa), Gamini Marapana (Sri Lanka), Justice Anthony Lucky (West Indies) and Clive Barnes (Zimbabwe). Of these, the members from India and Pakistan — Salve and Shah respectively — are not be permitted to hear the appeal and can therefore not be appointed as teams representing these countries were involved in the match in question. — ENS

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