CHRISTCHURCH, Dec 17: The International Cricket Council (ICC) have rejected New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Martin Snedden’s plea for more time to name his country’s World Cup squad.

Under ICC criteria, all World Cup squads must be named by Dec 31, by which time only two of New Zealand’s seven One-day Internationals against India will have been played. Snedden was hoping for an extension to the end of the series.

“Obviously the selectors would have liked the opportunity to see as much one-day cricket as possible before selecting the 15-man squad,” Snedden said in a statement released on Tuesday.

“I asked the ICC for an extension to the end of the ODI series but that request was refused.”

Snedden said he was now exploring the possibility of announcing the squad on Jan 2, given that Jan 1 is a public holiday in New Zealand and England, home of the ICC headquarters at Lord’s.

This would enable the New Zealand selectors to see the third ODI against India and an extra round of the domestic one-day competition.

New Zealand have been drawn in Pool B for the World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe starting on Feb 9, along with co-hosts South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, Kenya and Canada.

Meanwhile, India will announce a preliminary 30-man squad for World Cup on Wednesday, the national cricket board said in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The list has to be pruned by Dec 31 to the final 15 who will travel to South Africa for the 14-nation tournament.

The Indian cricket board had not announced the 30 probables so far, although the ICC deadline elapsed at the end of last month, due to an ongoing row between the ruling body and India’s top cricketers over the player contracts for the World Cup.

The Indian team, backed by players from around the world including Australia, are opposed to clauses which stipulate they must sign personal endorsements around the time of the tournament so as not to clash with official event sponsors.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya said after a meeting with the ICC last week that the row was close to being resolved.

The national selectors will on Wednesday also pick the squad for a seven-match one-day series against New Zealand, a BCCI official said.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble and left-hander Yuvraj Singh are expected to be called up.

According to ICC, should any player need to be replaced through injury, permission will be required in writing from the competition’s technical committee, the ICC added in a statement.

The technical committee comprises senior ICC representatives and the tournament director of the 2003 World Cup.

“A panel of three doctors approved by the ICC will examine the player,” said the statement.

“If they agree that the player is unfit to play a useful part in any match during the remainder of the event, the team may — with the prior written approval of the event technical committee — replace such player with another.”—Reuters