M A I N   N E W S

ICC gives India 24 hrs more

London, November 29
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have given India one last chance to salvage the crisis surrounding the selection of suspended batsman Virender Sehwag by extending their Friday deadline by 24 hours.

ICC President Malcolm Gray and chief executive Malcolm Speed are now set to meet Indian cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya on Saturday in a bid to save the Mohali Test match between India and England, which is scheduled to start on Monday. 

This means the initial ICC deadline of Friday for India to make a final decision on Sehwag has been put back a day. 

“The ICC has made three written offers to the BCCI to reach a sensible resolution to the matter and there have been lengthy telephone conversations between Malcolm Speed and Jagmohan Dalmiya.” 

The one-match ban on Sehwag was imposed for dissent in the second Test against South Africa. India refused to accept ICC-appointed Mike Denness as the match referee for the third match of the series, which the ICC ruled as unofficial. 

Speed remains hopeful that the impasse will be resolved, though he conceded there was still a long way to go. 

Speed confessed he has been through a roller-coaster of emotions in his attempts to broker a deal with Dalmiya, offering to travel to Kuala Lumpur to meet the BCCI President if no agreement can be reached before Saturday morning. Reuters

HC imposes costs on free Test plea
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Dismissing a petition filed by a Panchkula resident seeking directions to the Union of India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and the PCA, against charging visitors entry fee to the Test between India and England to be played at the PCA Stadium in SAS Nagar, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today imposed costs of Rs 5,000.

In his petition, Naresh Chander Chadha had stated that the directions were being sought for the benefit of not-so-well-off cricket buffs in the area. They would be deprived of the pleasure of watching the game because of the entry fee.

The petitioner had added that there was no need to charge the fee as enough money would flow from the sale of TV rights.