NEW DELHI, 7 May 2005 — India’s cricket board included three former Test captains in a committee set up yesterday to appoint a successor to New Zealander John Wright, who departed as national coach last month.

The six-member panel of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S. Venkatraghavan plus three Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials will hold their first meeting on Sunday, a board release said.

An Australian candidate is favored to replace Wright, who ended his 4-1/2-year tenure as India’s first foreign coach after the home series against Pakistan to spend time with his family.

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell and his compatriot Dean Jones have shown interest and have already forwarded their CVs to the BCCI, secretary Karunakaran Nair said.

However, a third Australian, former all-rounder Tom Moody, is seen as the front-runner.

Moody, 39, a member of the World Cup-winning squads of 1987 and 1999, is the director of cricket at English county Worcestershire and is said to have been recommended by Wright.

India’s media have criticized the board for not moving quickly to find Wright’s replacement.

However, Nair said the BCCI had until July because India’s next match is not until August when the team is due to play a one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka. Batting great Chappell was also in the race in 2000 when ex-New Zealand captain Wright was chosen.

Australia’s Dav Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup and renewed his contract with Bangladesh last month, has also shown interest in the post.

Opener Hinds Fined, S. Africa’s Smith Cleared

Meantime, West Indies opener Wavell Hinds has been fined his entire match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth Test against South Africa.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith was cleared of any misconduct, however, following an incident involving the two players on Tuesday.

The ICC said in a statement on Friday that Hinds had breached its code for “intentional throwing and overstepping the popping crease and generally unacceptable conduct”.

He was found guilty of “conduct contrary to the spirit of the game” by match referee Jeff Crowe in a hearing after the match in Antigua on Tuesday.

Smith was found not guilty of “conduct unbecoming (to his) status which could bring himself or the game into disrepute”.

“No evidence was produced or found to support the serious nature of the alleged breach. We must now look forward to a positive ODI series,” said Crowe in an ICC statement. South Africa won the series 2-0 after Tuesday’s fourth test was drawn.