No suspensions for India, South Africa: Gray

International Cricket Council chairman Malcolm Gray said in Australia today that the ICC was not -- contrary to reports appearing in a section of the British media -- contemplating suspensions for India and South Africa in the wake of the Mike Denness imbroglio.

The context of his statement needs clarifying -- Malcolm Gray was one of the guests on the radio show Australia Talks Back, at around 5 pm Australian time today.

The ICC chief's comment was made on air in context of questions relating to whether the affair would trigger a split in the cricketing world.

Referring to the current imbroglio, the ICC chairman maintained that there was no change in the governing body's stance. Thus, the ICC is insistent that the Centurion game will remain non-official; and further, that Virender Sehwag's one match suspension will be effective for the first India-England Test at Mohali.

Further, Gray said in response to a question by the talk show host that the question of inconsistent decisions by umpires and referees would be addressed by the ICC. "I find it ironical that today, everyone involved with cricket -- players, coaches, physios, even officials -- are professionals, while the umpires alone are not," said Gray.

Having said which, he then said that the five-man panel of match referees, once constituted and made operational in April of 2002, would function in a unified manner when it came to interpreting and enforcing the rules. Further, Gray said, the question of reviewing the performance and decisions of match referees would be considered seriously, and appropriate measures put in place.

Two things about that programme interested me. One was the whole concept of a review panel -- it was noticeable that many of the callers, most of them native Australians, kept bringing up the subject of sledging by Australian players as an instance of inconstant refereeing, and indicated that the game could do with a more even-handed enforcement of its rules.

It is a thought that needs a more detailed examination -- so we'll put it on ice for another day.

The other point of interest was that judging as much by the tone as by the actual words, Malcolm Gray is not as keen to force a confrontation, as is being made out in some sections of the media.

Interestingly, neither is the Indian board. The BCCI executive committee is meeting at this moment, and the initial announcement was that the board was backing Jagmohan Dalmiya to the hilt on the issue. Which is as you would expect -- after all, you don't really expect a board to withdraw backing from its chief without a sound, valid reason.

What is more interesting, though, is the perception within the board that having made its point, it is now time to talk and act with moderation and reason, and that a head-on collision benefits no one.

Thus, word from behind the scenes is that though Virender Sehwag will be picked in the 14 for the India-England Test series, he will not be named in the playing XI for the first Test at Mohali starting December 3.

Read also: The Mike Denness Controversy -- The full coverage

India's tour of South Africa: Complete coverage