Morgan meets with ICL in London

David Morgan, the ICC president, has confirmed he met with Indian businessman Subhash Chandra to discuss the ICL.

Chandra, the chairman of ICL owners Essel Group, was expected to be accompanied by members of the ICL management for the meeting in London. The league is hoping to seek official sanction under Rule 32 of the ICC operations manual which pertains to authorised unofficial cricket.

"The ICL had written to the ICC requesting a meeting and today that meeting took place," Morgan said. "I will now report back the contents of the meeting to the ICC Board, which is gathering in Dubai on 14 and 15 October."

Chandra thanked Morgan and other members of his group - David Becker, ICC's head of legal, and Jonathan Taylor of the international law firm of Bird and Bird - for attending. He said he hoped the issue of the ICL's position could be resolved when Morgan presents his findings to the ICC board.

Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL board, said the ICC's decision to meet ICL officials was a positive one. "We hope the ICC, for the sake of young cricketers, will look into the matter," Kapil said. "The BCCI also should consider the matter by having dialogue with the authorities concerned and that's what we want."

The ICL has been pressing the ICC unsuccessfully for official recognition of their unsanctioned venture for several months. Subsequently they requested the ICC for a meeting, and hinted at legal action if they didn't accede to the request. The ICC, meanwhile, has held several meetings of a working group it set up early this year to study the legal aspects of unofficial cricket.