Durham v Yorkshire, Twenty20 Cup, Chester-le-Street

Yorkshire's fate to be decided on Thursday

Cricinfo staff

July 9, 2008

Yorkshire will travel to the home of their rivals Lancashire on Thursday for the disciplinary hearing at Old Trafford which will decide their fate in the Twenty20 competition. They face being booted out of the competition, or having to replay a crucial group match against Nottinghamshire when they fielded the ineligible Azeem Rafiq, or even another course of action.

The hearing will be chaired by Judge Edward Slinger, with James Pickup QC and Simon Schanschieff also sitting. The ECB will issue a statement after Thursday's hearing.

Stewart Regan, Yorkshire's chief executive, has already accepted responsibility for the club omitting to have registered Rafiq, a former England Under-15 captain who does not have a British passport.

Yorkshire's Twenty20 Cup quarter-final away to Durham on Monday was called off just minutes before the start after the ECB ruled they'd failed to register Rafiq as a first-class player. Rafiq is understood to have been eligible to play for Yorkshire at every level below the first team - but he bowled two overs against Nottinghamshire.

The county's registration error could end up costing the county a chance of winning £2.5 million on offer to the inaugural Champions League winners later this year, in a tournament featuring leading domestic Twenty20 sides from around the world.

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