NEW DELHI, 27 December 2005 — India’s chief cricket selector Kiran More yesterday denounced former captain Saurav Ganguly for skipping domestic cricket before next month’s tour of Pakistan.
Ganguly, a controversial selection for the tour, missed Bengal’s two first-class Ranji Trophy matches against Karnataka and Gujarat despite being asked to play by More.
“I am surprised and shocked that Saurav is not playing against Gujarat,” More said after the four-day game began in Surat on Sunday while Ganguly spent Christmas with his family in Calcutta.
“This was the ideal time to get some match practice before the Pakistan tour. I demand an explanation because he missed the previous match against Karnataka as well.” More said he had asked Bengal selector Pranob Roy and team coach Paras Mhambrey to ensure Ganguly played first-class cricket after being dropped from the third Test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad.
“I was told they were unable to contact Ganguly and then I learnt he had asked not to be considered for the two matches,” More said.
Five other players selected for Pakistan — Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Venkatsai Laxman and Wasim Jaffar — are turning out for their respective state teams in the latest round of Ranji Trophy matches.
Other Team India players, including captain Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, were asked to rest by the team management after the busy home schedule. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), however, overruled its chief selector and said Ganguly will not be asked to explain his absence.
Pakistan Want Early Starts
to Tests Against India
In Karachi, Pakistan have proposed early starts to the Tests and One-Day Internationals against India to help deal with the winter weather and short days.
Pakistan’s Tests against England in the recent series at Faisalabad and Lahore were badly hit by bad light and fog forcing early closures to the playing days.
Some 70 overs were lost in the second Test in Faisalabad and a similar number in the final Test in Lahore despite use of floodlights.
India who tour from Jan. 6 to Feb. 18 are scheduled to play their first two Tests at the same venues in the central province of Punjab.
“The weather we know is a big problem at this time of the year for us. But we have to deal with it because this is the only time we can hold our international home season,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said yesterday.
Pakistan have proposed the Tests start half an hour to 15 minutes earlier than the normal time of 10.00 a.m. so that six hours of playing time and minimum 90 overs are possible before the bad light and fog set in.
