Sharjah no part of ICC: Gray

The Rediff Team

International Cricket Council president Malcolm Gray has said that the global governing body of cricket has no intention of intervening in the Sharjah imbroglio.

"Sharjah," Gray says in a media release, "is a tournament that falls outside of the ICC's International Tours Programme. Countries are invited to compete by the organisers, and, as a private agreement, it is a matter for them, rather than the ICC, to deal with this particular issue."

Gray was referring to reports that India will not participate in a triangular series in Sharjah scheduled for April, which also features Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Gray confirmed that the ICC would not impose any penalty or sanction against a member country for not participating in Sharjah.

"This would be a case of the government saying it does not want its national cricket team to play in the tournament, rather than a decision reached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. We would not take disciplinary action against any member in cases of force majeure."

The announcement by the ICC head is significant in a wider context. Earlier, Gray had on behalf of the ICC argued that India's continued refusal to play Pakistan could entail disciplinary action, including a ban.

During the India-Australia Test series which just ended, Gray had come down to this country and during his stay here, held discussions not only with senior BCCI officials including its president, Dr A C Muthiah, but also with Federal Minister for Sports Uma Bharti, and also senior officials in the external affairs ministry.

The BCCI had asked Gray to use his good offices to play mediator, and ask the Federal Government to rethink its policy of not permitting cricketing contacts with Pakistan. It was during the meeting with Ms Bharti that Gray was informed that India's reluctance to play in Sharjah this time had nothing to do with Pakistan's presence at the venue.

Officials of the sports and external affairs ministry informed Gray that various Indian intelligence services have indicated that cricket in the desert venue is inextricably linked to underworld dons and suchlike unsavoury figues. And that the government of India does not consider it advisable to send its cricket team there just now, pending the result of ongoing investigations into allegations of match-fixing in Sharjah.

It will be recalled that Sheikh Abdur Rehman Bukhatir, founder of the CBFS, had late last year called for a probe into cricket in Sharjah, and deputed former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd to head that probe.

At this point in time, the probe is still underway, and no results have been forthcoming as yet.

Gray's statement, dissociating the ICC from Sharjah, assumes significance on another front as well. Earlier, there had been fears that India's withdrawals from various international fixtures could impact on the ICC's recently introduced Test championship programme, and entail severe sanctions against India.

During his meeting with government of India officials, Gray was informed that cricket ties against Pakistan would -- as and when the need arose -- be decided upon in context of the political situation prevailing at the time. Thus, in this particular instance, it has been pointed out by government officials that the Federal Government had permitted India to play a hockey tournament in Dhaka, in course of which it in fact played Pakistan.

Sources in government circles indicate that Gray was informed that participation in Sharjah is an issue divorced from playing against Pakistan. That the government will not, pending completion of enquiries both here and in Sharjah, not permit India's cricket team to play at that venue. And that as far as playing Pakistan goes, the government will consider each tour or series in the context prevailing at that point in time.

That Gray has bought this argument, is the subtext of his twin statements -- one dissociating the ICC from Sharjah, the other indicating that the ICC has not intention of penalising a cricket board "in cases of force majeure".

You can also read:

The Malcolm Gray interview

Gray meets Bharti

Pakistan threaten India with no-play stance

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