Champions League

Australia spells out tough stand on ICL

Ajay S Shankar in Dubai

July 4, 2008

	James Sutherland: "We know that playing India in India is always going to be very tough and I am sure our players will want to ensure the best possible Test series" © Getty Images

The Champions League is still in the planning stages but one clear strand that has emerged is a hardening of positions vis-à-vis the unofficial Indian Cricket League. Cricket Australia has joined the BCCI and Cricket South Africa in adopting a strong position against allowing players associated with the ICL to participate in the proposed Champions League.

"We have made clear our position in respect to the ICL from the start," James Sutherland, CA's chief executive, told Cricinfo. "We don't support competitions that are not properly authorised by the home body and we wouldn't support that in our country. But we understand the problems for some other countries which are in a predicament."

It appears now that England, with around 25 ICL cricketers playing for 15 of its 18 counties, will have to take a tough decision on the Champions League though there have been attempts to break the deadlock with a suggestion that players who took part only in the inaugural ICL tournament, possibly unaware of the consequences, be considered for the event. "It's too early to really comment on that. It's not something I feel comfortable talking about right now," said Sutherland, who was part of the negotiations that took place here on Thursday between the boards of Australia, England, India and South Africa.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is also understood to be already exploring other options, including accepting an offer to take part in another, similar tournament.

The Champions League is proposed to be held in the 10-day window between the ICC Champions Trophy and Australia's first Test in India starting October 9. That will most likely clash with a scheduled practice match on Australia's tour and raises the possibility of a conflict of interest for the two Australians - Michael Hussey and Matthew Hayden - who are part of the Chennai Super Kings, which qualified for the Champions League.

Sutherland, though, said Cricket Australia will speak to its players on the issue. "One of the things that is really critical for us is to ensure the best possible preparation for what will be a really big Test series. We know that playing India in India is always going to be very tough and I am sure our players will want to ensure the best possible Test series. So we will have to talk to the players and the coach about what the best preparations are going to be.

"The purpose of discussions during the course of last few days was to just progress those a little bit, put them on the table, and have a bit of a debate on some of the more contentious issues and try to smooth that through," he said.

Sutherland said a final picture on the Champions League would become clear only after further discussions, though another official who attended Thursday's meeting told Cricinfo that the competition would be held at three venues in India, with Jaipur and Delhi "on the confirmed list" and a decision pending between Mohali and Bangalore as the third venue.

Ajay Shankar is deputy editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

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