BBC SPORT | CRICKET | Jadeja flouts cricket ban

Ajay Jadeja has broken a ban imposed by the International Cricket Council after playing in the United States.

Bloomberg reports Jadeja flouted his five-year ban imposed for alleged match-fixing by playing two matches for the Hollywood Cricket Club in California.

Jadeja, currently appealing the ban, could face further punishment.

He played on 19 August against International PIA and again on 15 September against Cosmos in the Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA) league.

Hollywood, founded by British actors in the 1930s and now seventh in the division, won both matches against the top two clubs.

We advised Hollywood not to play him until we received clarification from the ICC

SCCA vice-president Ranjit Vishwanath

His ban, initially imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, extends across the world and the United States Cricket Association comes unter the control of the ICC.

International PIA protested after its match, prompting the SCCA to seek clarification from the ICC whose spokesman Mark Harrison said Jadeja's ban "is therefore extended to official cricket in the States".

Jadeja, who is the first person to break an ICC ban, could now face an extension to his exclusion.

The former India captain was excluded from the sport after an Indian police investigation last year into corruption in cricket, which followed the life ban of former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje.

Ajay Jadeja teamed up with Nikhil Chopra
Jadeja teamed up with Chopra
"We disputed his status as he wasn't supposed to be playing over here,'' said Bobby Hussain, a player for International.

`"We got an e-mail that he couldn't participate in any kind of cricket."

Jadeja, who played along with former India team-mate Nikhil Chopra, had been on vacation in New York and Los Angeles, according to SCCA vice-president Ranjit Vishwanath.

"We advised Hollywood not to play him (against Cosmos) until we received clarification from the ICC; we made that very clear,'' he said.

The matter is currently with the SCCA's code of conduct committee.

Jadeja, who is about to star in a Bollywood movie, was unavailable for comment.


	^^ Back to top
	Front Page \| Football \| Cricket \| Rugby Union \| Rugby League \| Tennis \| Golf \| Motorsport \| Boxing \| Athletics \| Other Sports \| Sports Talk \| In Depth \| Photo Galleries \| Audio/Video \| TV & Radio \| BBC Pundits \| Question of Sport \| Funny Old Game ------------------------------------------------------------ BBC News >> \| BBC Weather >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMII\|News Sources\|Privacy