Ganguly free to play in first Test

Sourav Ganguly is free to play in the first Test against South Africa at Kanpur, which starts on Saturday (Nov 20), after the ICC decided that it was impractical for the appeal against his two-match ban to be heard before the match.

Ganguly was banned for two Tests by Clive Lloyd, the ICC referee, after India bowled their overs very slowly in the one-dayer against Pakistan at Kolkata last Saturday. But the Indian Board decided to appeal against Lloyd's sentence, and Tim Castle, the ICC's appeals commissioner, realised that the earliest date that the appeal could be heard was on the morning of the first Test.

The ICC announced: "After considering the implications of having this type of discussion on the morning of a game, Mr Castle elected to schedule the teleconference for the earliest possible time after the scheduled finish of the game rather than disrupting the Indian team's preparations. All parties consented to delaying the matter until after the scheduled finish of the game."

Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, explained: "It is impractical for this teleconference to take place on the morning of a match when the outcome may have been that the captain of one of the teams is unable to take his place in the side." He confirmed that since the appeal will not be determined before the game, Ganguly is now free to take his place in the first Test.

Ganguly's availability might be bad news for Mohammad Kaif, who might now miss out on playing in front of his home fans.