ICC board asked to adjudicate on Super Series status

The International Cricket Council's board will adjudicate on whether to award the Super Series matches official status after the Chief Executives' Committee once again endorsed the proposal.

Australia play the Rest of the World in a six-day Super Test to be played at Sydney from October 14, and are also likely to be the team taking on the best of the rest in three one-dayers in Melbourne earlier that month. The ICC board had previously rejected a proposal to give the games official status. Prominent statisticians such as the BBC's Bill Frindall have opposed the idea in the strongest terms.

According to Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, the decision to award official status to the charity match in Melbourne last month had influenced the CEC to make another request regarding the Super Series games. "In the light of the decision to give official status to the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal match, there was a strong view from the CEC that it should again recommend that the matches in the Super Series have official status to the ICC Board," said Speed. "This recommendation will now go forward to the ICC Executive Board for its consideration at its March meeting in India."

The committee also discussed other issues, including proposals to overhaul the system that deals with suspect bowling actions. There will be further discussions on the subject, and also on alternatives to the Duckworth/Lewis system currently used for rain-interrupted matches. Twenty20 cricket will also be discussed before the meeting wraps up in Melbourne on Friday.