The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Ban: Ganguly hopeful of positive decision

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 26, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Ban: Ganguly hopeful of positive decision

NEW DELHI, NOV. 25. Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly said he was hopeful of a positive decision after a long-drawn teleconference with an ICC Appeals Commissioner here on Thursday.

``It went off very well. I am hopeful...,'' he told reporters after emerging from the nearly three-hour teleconference, which was held to hear his appeal against the two-Test ban imposed on him for slow over rate by the International Cricket Council.

The captain said he expected the verdict from Appeals Commissioner Tim Castle to come tomorrow.

Asked specifically if he expected the verdict to go in his favour, he said, ``I have no idea but the way the teleconference went, it looked very good.''

Ganguly, who was accompanied by former Cricket Board President Jagmohan Dalmiya and lawyers Siddartha Shankar Ray and Ushanath Banerjee, also thanked the Board for its support.

``I think the Board should support all players. They have done it in the past during the South Africa series. That time also they stood by the players. I am thankful to BCCI for its support,'' he said.

Ganguly's availability for the second Test against South Africa, starting in Kolkata on Sunday, depends on the verdict.

Castle conducted the teleconference from his base in New Zealand while Match Referee Clive Lloyd, who reported Ganguly to ICC, hooked in from USA and ICC's in-house lawyer Urvasi Naidoo from London.

Dalmiya and coach John Wright also joined in the hearing.

The teleconference began at the scheduled time but got delinked for some time before it started again.

Castle will consider the evidence he has heard from all the parties along with the grounds of the appeal, paperwork from Lloyd and video of the match before giving his verdict.

He will then provide a written decision to the ICC, which will be forwarded to Ganguly, Lloyd and ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed.

The verdict of Castle, who has the power to increase, decrease, amend or substitute his own decision with that of the Match Referee, would be final and binding. — PTI

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