New Delhi, November 26
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Working Committee, which met here today under the chairmanship of its president, Mr Jagmohan Dalmia, unanimously adopted a resolution that the third Test between India and South Africa, played at Johannesburg, was an “official Test because it was a five-day match by two official teams of the the ICC (International Cricket Conference) full-member countries, selected by their respective national selection committees”.

The resolution further said that “one of the two on-field umpires was nominated by the host cricket board from its Test panel, while the other was from the ICC’s Panel of Umpires, even though the latter did not have a mere letter of appointment from the Cricket Operations Manager of ICC”.

The resolution asserted that since “the referee (Mr Dennis Lindsay) was from ICC’s Panel of Referees (even though he did not have a mere letter of appointment from the Cricket Operations Manager of ICC) who would incidentally be the ICC referee for the Test series between India and England a week later”, the third Test, in letter and intent, was an official one.

Mr Dalmia said the Working Committee “appreciated and ratified” all actions taken by the President in the matter pertaining to the ICC referee’s actions against six Indian cricketers. He said the Working Committee also appreciated and thanked the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) for its timely actions that averted further unpleasant turn of events.

Mr Dalmia said the UCBSA stood beside the BCCI and initiated the change of referee for the Johannesburg Test and therefore “the ICC’s contention that India had forfeited the match, and that South Africa won the Test series 2-0 should be strongly challenged”.