The BCCI-ICC controversy resolved

The biggest controversy in recent times to rock the cricket world after the match-fixing episode was finally resolved peacefully yesterday. The BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said Virendra Sehwag would not be selected for the playing eleven at Mohali and put all arguments to rest.

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The Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly who arrived with his team at Mumbai yesterday after a disappointing tour of South Africa said he was surprised that the selectors did not consult him over the selection of the team. The selectors revamped the entire bowling attack by replacing all the bowlers who went to South Africa with a new look attack that included several new faces.

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The BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said he would discuss with skipper Sourav Ganguly, the skipper's grievance about not being consulted on team selection for the Mohali Test. The BCCI chief said that there was a provision that stated that captain should be consulted by the selection committee before deciding on the composition of the team, and added that he was unsure why it was not done.

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The BCCI today played down the suggestions that it should seek an apology from the English match referee Mike Denness over the harsh punishments he handed down to the Indian players at Port Elizabeth. Mr Dalmiya said he was not out to prove that Denness was wrong but only wanted to prove that the decisions were harsh and uncalled for.

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Dalmiya lashed out at the chief of the ECB for 'speaking out of turn' on the Virendra Sehwag issue and for trying to complicate it further. McLaurin had threatened to pull out of the tour if India played the batsman at Mohali. Dalmiya replied that he felt it was not proper of McLaurian to make such remarks before a final decision on the issue had been made.

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Meanwhile the grievances to be raised by the BCCI in the next ICC executive meeting are:
* Declaring the third Test match at Centurion as 'official'
* The stigma on Tendulkar be removed and he be exonerated of all charges.
* The penalties on all the other players be modified.

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England's skipper in India Nasser Hussain said it was important for all nations to adhere to the decisions made by cricket's governing body. He was speaking in reaction to being given the news that Sehwag had been omitted from the side to play the first Test against England. He said it was important for all nations to realize that the ICC runs the game and leave them to do the decision making.

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Some of Jagmohan Dalmiya's recent comments
On Mike Denness:
"He was inconsistent and reasonable opportunity was not given to the players to explain their stand. We want the entire system to be overhauled if not overturned."
On the penalty imposed on Sourav Ganguly:
"It's akin to a school teacher asking the father of the boy to come and kneel down in class, because the boy had been caught copying in class."

New Zealand in Australia

A steady batting performance by New Zealand and a century on debut for Lou Vincent were the highlights of the first day's play of the third and final Test at Perth. Vincent and skipper Stephen Fleming put on 199 for the third wicket. However the Australian bowlers struck back in the last session as the visitors slumped from 264-3 to 293-7.

West Indies in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's left-arm pace bowler Chaminda Vaas claimed seven West Indian wickets for 120 as the latter lost their last seven wickets for just 44 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground at Colombo on the second day in the third and final Test match. Brian Lara, who was bowled by an inswinger for 221 by Vaas, hit two sixes and 23 fours. In reply Sri Lanka were 193-3 at close of play.

Bangladesh tour of New Zealand

Bangladesh's cricket squad left yesterday for a three-week tour of New Zealand. The team, captained by wicketkeeper Khaled Masud, will play two Tests, one three-dayer and one four-day warm-up match. Since getting Test status on June 26, 2000, Bangladesh's team for the first time dropped two regular cricketers -- ousted captain Naimur Rahman and veteran Akram Khan -- for their poor performance in a home series with Zimbabwe.
The tour will be Bangladesh's second of New Zealand as a Test-playing nation since their last tour in 1997. The tour will begin with a three-day warm-up against District Association Eleven in Wanganui from December 7, followed on December 12 by the four-dayer in Auckland. The team will play consecutive Tests in Hamilton from December 18 and in Wellington from December 26.

Bangladesh team: Khaled Masud (capt), Mohammad Ashraful, Al-Shahriar, Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar, Aminul Islam, Khaled Mahmud, Tushar Imran, Fahim Muntasir, Enamul Hoque, Mashrafee-bin Mortuza, Mohammad Sharif, Monjurul Islam, Hasibul Hossain and Sanwar Hossain.
Coach: Trevor Chapell. Physiotherapist: John Gloster. Manager: Afzal-ur-Rahman Sinha
Assistant Manager: Tanjib Ahsan Saad
Standby: Anwar Hossain Munir, Mehrab Hossain, Anwar Hossain (wicketkeeper)

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Meanwhile there has also been some changes in the top leadership of Bangladesh cricket. The ruling party MP Ali Asgar has replaced senior bureaucrat Akmal Hossain as president of Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Miscellaneous

South African left-arm spin bowler Nicky Boje has been ruled out of the forthcoming Test series in Australia because of continuing knee problems. Boje who has been suffering from patella tendinitis underwent a scan earlier this week. The injury had flared up during the second Test against India at Port Elizabeth earlier last month. His place will be taken by Claude Henderson of Western Province.

South African squad
Shaun Pollock (captain), Mark Boucher, Boeta Dippenaar, Allan Donald, Steve Elworthy, Herschelle Gibbs, Mornantau Hayward, Claude Henderson, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusener, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Jacques Rudolph.

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Dr Ali Bacher, the chief organiser of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The honorary doctorate was conferred on him during a Health Sciences graduation ceremony. Incidentally, Dr Bacher graduated from Wits University in 1967 and practiced medicine for a decade before being a full time cricket administrator.

SCORES AT A GLANCE

Sri Lanka v West Indies (3rd Test)
2nd day
Played at Sinhalese Sport Club ground, Colombo Toss: West Indies
West Indies: 390 (RR Sarwan 69, BC Lara 221, CL Hooper 56; C Vaas 7-120)
Sri Lanka: 193-3 (ST Jayasuriya 85, K Sangakkara 55, M Jayawardene 32*)

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Australia v New Zealand (3rd Test)
1st day
Played at WACA, Perth
Toss: New Zealand
New Zealand 293-7 (L Vincent 104, S Fleming 105; J Gillespie 3-79)

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