August 04, 2007	Saturday	Rajab 19, 1428

MUMBAI, Aug 3: Players joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL) will be banned for life, Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Indian board, has said. “Our stand is very clear. Players who take part in the ICL will never be eligible to play for the country again. It is up to the players to decide what they want to do,” Shah told the PTI.

Asked whether the ban would apply to players yet to represent the country, Shah said: “Definitely. It is applicable to all players,” adding that domestic cricket would also be out of bounds for such players.

When asked to comment on the unofficial ICL, which is being bankrolled by Zee Telefilms, India’s largest listed media company, and carrying a prize of US$1 million, Pawar said the competition would mainly feature players coming out of retirement.

“Everyone wants to see official cricket, not the oldies. I see no reason for young players going there. Only those who play official cricket can represent India.”

Shah further said that the BCCI would take a decision on Kapil Dev’s chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) at its general body meeting on Aug 21.

Kapil had joined the ICL’s executive board as its chairman and has been at odds with the BCCI ever since. He had called recent remarks made by Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, about the ICL, ‘shameful’.

“If the board thinks that only the national XI can attract crowds, then it should stop conducting any domestic tournament,” Kapil said.

He added that the BCCI should not be threatening players because they cannot perform on the field under fear.

“The BCCI is scared of the ICL. That is the only reason it is not willing to talk to us,” he expressed.—Agencies