India move ICC to get Ganguly's ban overturned

NEW DELHI, Monday (AFP) - India have appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to send captain Sourav Ganguly's six-match ban for arbitration ahead of the new season starting in Sri Lanka later this month, officials said on Monday.

Ganguly was penalised by match referee Chris Broad for India's slow over-rates during the one-day series against Pakistan in April, a decision that was later upheld by the ICC's appeals commissioner Michael Beloff.

Even though Beloff's verdict is binding, Indian cricket board president Ranbir Singh Mehendra said there were grounds for the case to be reopened.

"We have written to the ICC to reopen Ganguly's case because we did not agree with the verdict of the appeals commissioner," Mahendra told reporters. "It is now the ICC's turn to respond to our request. I am waiting for their reply. It should come soon."

Ganguly, who sat out the last two one-dayers against Pakistan, will have to miss four games of a tri-series against the West Indies and hosts Sri Lanka starting on July 30 if the ban is not overturned. The Indian captain was banned after his team took 30 extra minutes to bowl the stipulated 50 overs in two consecutive matches against Pakistan.

In November last year, Ganguly was banned for two Test matches for a similar offence, but his appeal against match referee Clive Lloyd's decision was upheld by another ICC commissioner, Tim Castle. Ganguly, meanwhile, will cut short his stint with English county Glamorgan next week to attend the Indian team's pre-season camp in Bangalore at new coach Greg Chappell's insistence.

Glamorgan will release the left-hander on July 10, but expect him back for a four-day match starting on July 21 if the ban remains and Ganguly is not picked for the Sri Lankan series.

"Chappell wanted Ganguly to attend the camp for a few days even if he is not available for the tri-series," Indian board official Gautam Dasgupta said.

Ganguly is one-day cricket's third highest run scorer, behind compatriot Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan, with 9,967 runs from 271 matches. His 22 one-day centuries are next only to Tendulkar's record tally of 38.