Hall appeals against two-Test ban

The management of the South African team in Pakistan has lodged an appeal with the ICC against the two-Test match ban handed down to Andrew Hall following an incident in the second ODI at Lahore a week ago.

Hall was found guilty by Clive Lloyd, the ICC match referee, of two breaches of the Code of Conduct. The first was a Level 2 breach for inappropriate and deliberate physical contact, for which he was banned for one ODI (that ban was served today in the final match of the Pakistan series). The second was a Level 3 offence for conduct that brings the game into disrepute, for which he has been banned for two Test matches.

In accordance with ICC regulations, a player found guilty of a Level 3 or 4 offence has 24 hours from notification of the sentence to lodge an appeal. The appeal is likely to be heard within the next five days.

Hall, South Africa's captain Graeme Smith and the Pakistan batsman Yousuf Youhana were involved in an on-field altercation during the Pakistan innings in the second ODI at Lahore on Oct 4. The match officials did not report the incident, but Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, exercised his right to cite the players and call for video footage of the clash. After the hearing Hall received his double ban, while Smith was suspended for one ODI (like Hall, he missed the decider in Rawalpindi) and fined 50% of his match fee for a Level 2 offence relating to the use of obscene or offensive language, and Youhana was found guilty of a Level 1 offence of bringing the game into disrepute and fined 50% of his match fee.

Hall's appeal will be heard by Sir Oliver Popplewell, a former English high-court judge - and a former president of MCC to boot. Sir Oliver is the England & Wales Cricket Board's nominated member of the ICC's Code of Conduct Commission, and has been appointed as the appeals commissioner for Hall's case by Urvasi Naidoo, the ICC's legal counsel.