FICA slams 'Big Three' ICC proposal

The world's cricketers have voiced their strong opposition to the proposed revamp of the ICC's structure, declaring that it would only serve to strengthen India, England and Australia while weakening the rest of the cricketing nations.

The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), which represents player associations in seven of the ICC's ten full member countries, has declared itself "extremely concerned" with the leaked proposal, which would place the ICC largely in the control of the so-called "Big Three" nations. The FICA chairman, Paul Marsh, said players had a real fear the proposal would leave countries outside the Big Three to "wither on the vine".

"There are a myriad of issues with this proposal," Marsh said. "First and foremost, as board directors of the ICC, the Chairmen of the BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB owe fiduciary duties to the ICC that include putting the interests of the ICC ahead of those of their individual boards, a duty to remain loyal to the ICC and avoid conflicts of interests and to act in good faith to promote the success of the ICC. We seriously question whether all of these duties have been met.

"The proposals relating to scheduling are disturbing. The reassurance to the boards outside the 'Big Three' that they are guaranteed to earn more in the next rights cycle than they have in the current one ignores the fact they are almost certain to lose more money from a re-shaped Future Tours Programme (FTP) than they will gain from ICC distributions, when the 'Big Three' inevitably pick and choose who, when and where they will play.

"Of significance is the section that offers a guarantee from Cricket Australia and the ECB to play three Tests and five ODIs per cycle to each of the top eight members, yet there is no mention of any such guarantee from the BCCI. Each of the member countries, including Australia and England, rely heavily on Indian tours for sustainability of the game in their country. What chance do the majority of members have of survival if the BCCI decides not to tour their countries on at least a semi-regular basis?

"The result of this is that the gap between the 'Big Three' and the rest will get bigger and bigger, which will undermine the competitiveness of future ICC events and therefore the value of rights in future cycles. This will affect everyone and it cannot possibly be in the interests of international cricket nor of the health and sustainability of the world game of which the ICC is supposed to be the custodian."

Boards of ICC members outside the Big Three have expressed differing views on the proposal, with Cricket South Africa arguing the idea is "fundamentally flawed" and "in breach of the ICC constitution", while New Zealand Cricket said it was wrong to jump to the conclusion that the proposal would be bad for cricket. However, FICA has raised concerns about the potential increased financial strain that could affect countries already struggling to make money from the game.

"We also have significant concern with the notion that distributions from ICC events should be based on commercial contribution," Marsh said. "The result of this will be the countries that need ICC income most will receive the least, whilst the 'Big Three' will get the lion's share even though they are already financially healthy because of the value of the rights to their bilateral series.

"The role of ICC events should be to assist in levelling the financial playing field by distributing the proceeds from these events fairly, rather than further widening the gap between the rich and poor. Whilst these are an entirely foreseeable commercial outcomes, for the cricket fan the greater concern is the increasing gulf in quality between the 'Big Three' and the rest. The essence of sport is competition and those in control of the ICC should be doing all they can to promote and provide a level playing field. This proposal will achieve the complete opposite.

"Ironically the proposal espouses the principal of meritocracy. The linking of immunity from Test relegation for BCCI, ECB and CA to an argument that this is necessary 'solely to protect ICC income' is plainly wrong, given the fact no Test-based ICC events feature in the forward thinking and therefore all revenues generated from Test cricket are kept by the boards hosting the respective series."

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Smith takes up Irish citizenship

Graeme Smith, captain of the South Africa Test team, has been granted Irish citizenship.

Smith, 32, married the Irish singer Morgan Deane in August 2011, and the pair have been in Dublin in recent days to tie up the details. Deane posted a photo on Instagram of Smith with his certificate. Smith has not had to relinquish his South African citizenship.

While the development will have no immediate implications for Surrey, the county with whom Smith has a long-term relationship, it would mean that, should he retire from international cricket, he would be eligible to play for them without counting as an overseas player.

Smith has previously insisted that he is keen to continue to represent South Africa until at least the 2015 World Cup, although he is not guaranteed to be included, having not passed 30 in his last eight ODIs. At some stage, it is thought he is likely to step back from the international game and concentrate upon Surrey.

Having signed a three-year contract to captain the London county in late 2012, Smith's first season at Surrey was curtailed by injury. He only played in three Championship matches, as Surrey were relegated from Division One.

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Vijay Zol told to skip Ranji final

Vijay Zol, the Maharashtra batsman and India Under-19 captain, has been asked to skip the Ranji Trophy final and instead train with the India U-19 squad ahead of the upcoming ICC U-19 World Cup in the UAE.

The final preparatory camp of the U-19 squad started at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Tuesday. Since the Ranji Trophy semifinal overlapped with the preparatory camp, the Maharashtra Cricket Association had to seek BCCI's permission for releasing Zol for the semifinal. But with Maharashtra beating Bengal by 10 wickets within three days, Zol reported at the NCA on the opening day of the camp.

Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's general manager cricket operations, said the question of the BCCI allowing Zol to contest the final, starting in Hyderabad from January 29, didn't even arise. "It was told to the Maharashtra Cricket Association that Zol will be released only for the semifinal," Shetty told ESPNcricinfo.

Maharashtra coach Surendra Bhave said it was unfortunate for the player to have missed out on an opportunity to play the Ranji final, that too in his debut first-class season. "I would say competing in the Ranji Trophy final is much better than going through monotonous drills in the nets, but we can't do much about it," Bhave said. "The team as a whole won't suffer much since we have a ready replacement for him."

Zol, who scored an unbeaten double hundred on his Ranji debut in Maharashtra's season-opener, missed their last two league matches due to the U-19 Asia Cup in the UAE. He scored centuries in the semifinal against Sri Lanka and the final against Pakistan. He continued his form and scored a valuable 91 not out to help Maharashtra shock defending champions Mumbai in the quarterfinal.

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Williamson fifty promises big total

25 overs New Zealand 130 for 2 (Williamson 55*, Taylor 9*) v India
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

New Zealand promised India another big chase as their top order flogged a listless attack on a slow pitch with a small and quick outfield to counter the slowness of the surface. It could have been much worse for India, who were unchanged despite persistent failures of Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma, had the slowness of the pitch not got rid of a rampaging Jesse Ryder at the top. Despite that early loss and a slow start from Martin Guptill - who faced 25 dot balls in the first 10 overs - New Zealand managed to keep the run rate up through an 89-run stand in 15.3 overs between Guptill and Kane Williamson.

One of these days Ryder will convert a start, and set a target of close to 400. Once again he looked in golden touch, square-driving and cover-driving any bit of width he got from India's new-ball bowlers. However, when trying to upper-cut Mohammed Shami, he was done in by the slow and low bounce, and ended up bottom-edging it to MS Dhoni. Guptill was only 4 off 21 when Ryder fell at the team score of 25 in the sixth over.

It was imperative Guptill be given some time to come out of this patch with the extreme pressure of scoring runs, and Kane Williamson did just that. He pulled and punched with ease, and Guptill too began to time his shots better. He was helped along the way by an off-rhythm Ishant, who began with a leg-side half-volley and followed it up with a wide. The last ball of his third over angled into the pads, and Guptill played his famous lofted drive, where he looks down at the pitch, where the ball used to be, and not at where it sails off. This one sailed over long-on for six, taking him to 28 off 42, and New Zealand to 70 for 1 after 13 overs.

By that time, without any fuss, Williamson had reached 20 off 25, and hit Ravindra Jadeja either side of point to make it 28 off 28 in the 14th over. Now it looked all too easy for Guptill and Williamson with India's having to resort to part-time bowlers. Virat Kohli went for runs, Suresh Raina was going for a few too until Guptill, who had scored 40 off his last 44 deliveries, tried too ambitious a shot - something between a sweep and a pull - and top-edge him to short fine leg.

By the end of the 25th over, Williamson and Taylor had added 16 off 25 balls, and Williamson had brought up his second consecutive half-century.

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CSA demands ICC proposals withdrawn

Cricket South Africa has become the first national board to call for the ICC to withdraw the draft proposal that would put power in international cricket in the hands of India, England and Australia.

South Africa have been identified as the big losers in the potential changes, which, if adopted, could be viewed as a power grab by the three nations that bring most revenue into the international game. Calling the plans "in breach of the ICC constitution", CSA has now made its opposition clear.

The "position paper", drawn up by a working group of the ICC's Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee, is due to be put to the ICC Executive Board at its quarterly meeting in Dubai on January 28-29. The proposals would need seven votes out of ten to pass.

Despite South Africa's position as the No. 1-ranked Test side in the world, if the proposals were adopted, their projected share of future revenues at every stage would fall below than even that of the Pakistan board.

South Africa's relationship with India has declined markedly since they appointed Haroon Lorgat as chief executive of their own board. It was Lorgat, as ICC chief executive, who championed the Woolf report, which proposed placing the ICC in the hands of independent directors. Lorgat's subsequent feud saw him ousted at the ICC and cold-shouldered by the BCCI, which refused to deal with him as India undertook a much-reduced tour of South Africa last year.

CSA has now become the first board to publicly state its opposition to the ambush proposals, calling for a more consultative and "constitutionally ordained" process to take place.

The meeting on January 9, where Full Member boards were presented with the paper, was unscheduled and "came out of nowhere", according to the head of one board. Nazmul Hassan, president of the BCB, said that Bangladesh "can't doing anything on our own", while NZC director Martin Snedden suggested the BCCI-ECB-CA plans were not necessarily a bad thing for world cricket.

CSA responded in a statement, saying: "Without addressing the merits of the proposal insofar as it concerns constitutional amendments and changes to ICC competitions, these proposals should first be referred to the relevant ICC committees or sub‐committees for proper consideration and to make recommendations to the ICC Board."

The open letter, copied to ICC Full Members and media outlets, was written not by Lorgat, but by Chris Nenzani, CSA's president and board chairman, directed to ICC president Alan Isaac.

"Although there is nothing to prevent a review of the ICC funding model or finances, the proposal self-evidently is inextricably tied up with a fundamental restructuring of the ICC, which has far‐reaching constitutional implications," Nenzani said.

"The draft proposal is, therefore, fundamentally flawed as regards the process and, therefore, in breach of the ICC constitution.

"In the circumstances we propose that the draft proposal be withdrawn immediately, given that the proper procedures have not been followed.

"In our respectful opinion, a more considered, inclusive/consultative, and properly constitutionally ordained approach is required."

Isaac, a former chairman of the New Zealand board, whose business career involved 35 years with the global accounting firm KPMG, is now facing the most problematic task of a low-key term as ICC president. It is questionable whether he will welcome the attention. The presidential role will officially become a ceremonial role once he steps down in 2014 and he has already done much to hasten that transition.

Tony Irish, chief executive of the South African Cricketers' Association, had previously defined the document as, "concerning," saying it will have "significant implication for cricket, particularly for smaller countries of which South Africa is one - revenue wise."

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Proud to win semi within three days - Maharashtra coach

After Harshad Khadiwale knocked Sandipan Das for a single that took Maharashtra to their first Ranji Trophy final in 21 years, his team's celebrations were muted. The players formed a line outside the dressing room and waited for the Maharashtra openers, the Bengal team, and the match officials to cross the ropes and shake hands with them. No one brandished a stump in a frenzied victory dance. It's likely that no one even managed to get hold of one as a souvenir.

Surendra Bhave, Maharashtra's coach, said his players might have been disappointed they had not won by an innings. "The fact that they did not celebrate in a big way shows that they wanted to win it in even better style," Bhave said. "I told them that if a team wins a semi-final game on day three, they should be proud of themselves. They tonked us about a little bit in the end, made us bat again, but ultimately, match finishing in three days, Maharashtra victorious, I can't complain."

Apart from that half-session when Wriddhiman Saha and Bengal's tailenders delayed the inevitable by clouting 160 in 117 balls, Maharashtra dominated the semi-final.

"The whole year, we had our ups and downs...bowling not clicking, catches not being taken, losing wickets at the wrong time," Bhave said. "Every day, when we were bowling, we thought we were two wickets short. Every day, when we were batting, we thought [we were] maybe 50 runs short or maybe [lost] 2-3 wickets too many. But it has worked brilliantly."

The win over Mumbai in the quarter-finals, Bhave said, had sent belief coursing through his players' veins. "That Mumbai game has changed the complete mindset of the team," he said. "Simply amazing. I keep going back to that game, because Mumbai won four sessions in a row, then Maharashtra won five sessions in a row, and the match. Over the nine sessions it lasted, Maharashtra won five in a row."

In the semi-final, Maharashtra's bowlers had extracted life out of the pitch in both innings, while their batsmen had made it look comparatively easy to bat on.

"I'm happy that you've noticed that," Bhave said. "Because many a times in the past few years, I've noticed that when Maharashtra bat, the pitch looks lively, and when we bowl, the pitch looks docile, so it was about time we turned it around."

Part of the reason for this were the techniques of Maharashtra's batsmen. Sangram Atitkar top-scored with 168, but it was Ankit Bawne's 89, according to Bhave, that laid the platform for the team's massive first-innings lead.

"To single out one batsman in this match who actually set it up for us was Ankit's [Bawne] defensive technique," Bhave said. "Absolutely fantastic. And then Sangram Atitkar, that's what he does. He strikes at 80 at No.7 and you can't question it, because he plays that role so well. Every now and then when Viju [Zol] is not there he bats at No.3. Sometimes No.7 does not get importance, but when you play knocks like that at No.7 it becomes a good position to bat."

In reaching the final after starting in Group C, Maharashtra had emulated the achievement of the 2010-11 Rajasthan side that won the tournament after qualifying out of the Plate group, as it was then known, for the knockouts.

"I think it's a great story," Bhave said. "I think it's telling people that there is depth in all three groups now. I've mentioned it before, that I think Hyderabad, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal were all very good teams. They were good enough to fight against any elite team this year. All of them had three good fast bowlers, decent batting, their fielding looked good. C Group - we took 35 points and topped it, but it was a good group and it's a good commentary on Indian cricket that a team from C is rising to play the final. It shows the depth in Indian cricket now."

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Mathews denies SL were too negative

Sri Lanka's captain, Angelo Mathews, has denied that negative tactics led to his team's dramatic downfall in Sharjah and said his batsmen should have been "a bit more cautious" in the second innings, which he believes cost Sri Lanka the match.

Sri Lanka had achieved an 87-run first innings lead, but scored at 1.87 runs an over on the fourth afternoon and evening, seemingly in an attempt to stall the game and preserve their 1-0 lead. Pakistan took Sri Lanka's last five wickets for 81 on the fifth morning and completed a record chase to level the series. Their run rate of 5.25 on the last day was the highest for any successful chase over 300.

"Last evening, five of our wickets had fallen for 100 and from there onwards, we had to take some time," Mathews said. "Rather than going for runs and losing wickets, we defended at that stage, because we knew we were leading the series and we don't need to take a big risk. On the fifth day there wasn't much turn for the spinners. It's still a very good wicket.

"When we were batting we actually kept losing wickets and we never got a good lead. Prasanna Jayawardene responded to pressure and batted brilliantly, but I thought we should have been a bit more cautious because we've already won the series and we didn't need to give them a sniff. That's what happened in the morning today, when we let our guards down for a couple of hours. We just couldn't bat for another hour. That's all we needed.

"Our batters were not very patient in the second innings and that brought our downfall."

Sri Lanka were also quick to spread their fields in the fourth innings, as Pakistan gathered three quarters of their 302 runs through singles, twos and threes. A slip was occasionally employed but there was no tight infield for much of the innings.

"[Negative tactics] weren't really to blame," Mathews said. "We knew that the Pakistanis have to make a move, and they were desperate to win the game. And you know when you are desperate, you tend to make more mistakes than the others. We were actually not going overboard with attacking but we just wanted to make it harder and harder for them to win the game."

Pakistan required only 53 runs from the final 60 balls of the match and had six wickets in hand. Sri Lanka routinely placed at least seven - but up to nine - fielders on the fence during those overs, with Pakistan hitting 41 runs via singles, twos and threes in that time.

"We wanted to get a wicket in that period," Mathews said. "The ball was a bit old and also reversing a little bit. We actually knew in the last ten overs that they would go for the big shots. Even when we had our nine fielders down at the boundary, they still went for it. We wanted to get a wicket and when the newcomer comes in, to sort of bring in the field and put pressure [on]. They were going to go for it and it was getting dark. That's why we had the fielders out."

Rangana Herath bowled well outside leg stump, with a packed leg-side field, throughout the match. The ploy backfired on the fifth evening, as Misbah-ul-Haq, in particular, used the reverse-sweep to good effect. But, like Kumar Sangakkara on day three, Mathews said the tactic was intended to bring wickets.

"We bowled on leg stump because there was rough outside the leg stump," he said. "We thought that something would happen for the spinners, and they'd get some help. We were trying to get wickets that way, but they batted really well."

Mathews directed blame entirely at the batting in the second innings, suggesting the bowling was hampered by the docility of the surface and could not have done much better. "We played really well in the last three-and-a-half days, but our batting messed it up for us today. It was never a 214 wicket to get all out, especially on a day four or five, when you could still hit through the line. We gifted them wickets and that was not good enough."

Sri Lanka's run rate for the whole match was 2.34 - their lowest for any game in which they have batted at least 100 overs since 2000. "We scored 400 in the first innings and we had to work hard for that because Pakistan were not giving any loose balls. We had to wait for the loose balls and they did the same in the second innings. They bowled very disciplined lines and lengths."

Mathews found solace in individual gains and a drawn series, despite the dispiriting final result. "The way Kaushal Silva and the openers batted in the series was quite brilliant. Rangana Herath was good as always, and the two fast bowlers were also brilliant. It was a collective performance. Mahela batted well in Dubai and then again here, so we want to take all these positives and move forward."

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Bennett replaces Milne in NZ ODI squad

Fast bowler Hamish Bennett has been chosen as a replacement in New Zealand's ODI squad for the injured Adam Milne for the remainder of the five-match series against India. According to a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) release, an MRI scan revealed a torn abdominal muscle which will sideline Milne for approximately six weeks.

Milne sustained the injury during New Zealand's 24-run win in the first ODI at Napier. He finished with figures of 1 for 40 in 7.3 overs before leaving the field midway through the 41st over with what appeared to be a side strain.

Bennett, 26, has played one Test and 12 ODIs for New Zealand and will join the squad at training in Hamilton on Tuesday ahead of the second ODI on Wednesday. His last appearance for New Zealand came in the 2011 World Cup, when he took 0 for 16 in 4.1 overs in a 112-run loss to Sri Lanka at Mumbai.

During the 2013-14 New Zealand domestic season, Bennett is the leading wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield with 24 scalps at 23.12 in five matches for Canterbury, who currently sit in first place in the first-class competition.

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Sri Lanka tread too far down the conservative route

While conservatism has worked for Sri Lanka in this series, their dour defensive play on day four in Sharjah neither decisively put defeat beyond them nor, it would appear, did much to revive the flagging interest in Test cricket

A few days ago, in the Emirate just west of Sharjah, a group of cricket administrators unveiled a proposal that would put the Test-match future of Sri Lanka and Pakistan in serious doubt. On day four, in a series already ruled by attrition, the teams produced the least watchable cricket of the tour. The comatose third session, in which Sri Lanka progressed at 1.36 runs an over, was little more than a staring contest featuring 13 grown men. There are pharmaceutical ads that are more compelling.

The few hundred fans that had come to the stadium stared too, only their eyes had long since glazed over. If any new followers of the sport tuned in, they might wonder why Tests between these sides deserve saving.

Sri Lanka were almost certainly the more passive of the teams, and though the players will contend that abrasive battles are an inextricable part of Test cricket, they can hardly claim it is the type of play that will stir the flagging interest in the format at home. They will also hold that Sri Lanka's first away series win since 2000 is much better reward for their fans than risky, aggressive cricket. If the sport is reduced to its scorelines, then perhaps that is correct. But cricket has always been about the journey, not just the destination, as laid out by the two best Tests of 2013, in Auckland and Johannesburg, both of which ended in draws.

Before the Test, captain Angelo Mathews had said this: "We need to play positive cricket once again, because we will try to win it 2-0. We are certainly not going for a draw here, because it sends a negative message to the whole team."

To single Mathews out for hypocrisy here would be grossly unfair, primarily because press conferences with almost any athlete have become an exercise in professional pretense. Even the most dour batsman will speak of "being positive" - a ubiquitous cricketing phrase - because anything less conveys weakness. But the fact is, no one likes to lose. When you're ahead in the series, why bother with winning the match? Sri Lanka have been in control at the close of almost every day since the middle of the first Test, and the prospect of finishing the series on even terms might appear madness to those in the dressing room.

Moreover, an inexperienced Sri Lanka side have largely gained ground by playing conservatively and respecting the limits of their ability. The fast bowlers have not attempted magic balls, nor sought to blast oppositions out. The spinners have found safety in the quicker, flatter deliveries, hoping to build pressure with dot balls. In the Dubai Test that Sri Lanka won, they scored at less than three an over in both innings, effectively challenging Pakistan to change the tempo of the series, if they wish to level it.

But on Sunday, Sri Lanka discovered the perils of treading too far down the conservative route. An uncompromising focus on defence with the bat allowed Pakistan's bowlers the opportunity to settle happily into their work, even though the onus was on them to take quick wickets, having finished their first innings with an 87-run deficit and only five full sessions to play. Three of Sri Lanka's five dismissed batsmen fell offering defensive shots, having earned poor dividends for their time at the crease. Kaushal Silva and Dinesh Chandimal fell to very good balls, but that is hardly unexpected at Test level; if batsmen are to receive unplayable balls destined to do damage, it would seem wise to score off the deliveries that are not so menacing.

Mahela Jayawardene stalled for 15 deliveries on 46, allowing Saeed Ajmal to put men around the bat, as he constructed what was among his most threatening spells in the series. Flat pitches in India recently prompted MS Dhoni to compare bowlers to bowling machines, but to Ajmal, Jayawardene and Mathews - whose 38-run stand spanned 176 deliveries - might have seemed the batting equivalent. Predictably, he got one to turn a little more than Jayawardene anticipated, and ensured Pakistan's slim hopes of winning the Test survived into the fifth day.

It is excusable, perhaps even commendable, that Sri Lanka have taken stock of their personnel and embraced conservatism in the series, largely to good effect. Their gains in the series may even suggest it is a strategy that suits them until key men develop the ability to play attacking, intimidating cricket. But in defending to the point of alienating fans, they have also weakened their grip on the match.

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No knowledge of draft proposals, says Associate representative

One member of the ICC's Finance & Commercial Affairs committee has said he was not privy to any details about the F&CA working group's draft proposal that recommends a radical overhaul of the world cricket administration.

Bermuda's Neil Speight, an ICC director and Associates & Affiliates (A&A) representative in the F&CA committee, said in an email message that he had "no knowledge" of the proposals reported on ESPNcricinfo on Friday. The "position paper" was made available to a Full Member special meeting in Dubai on January 9 to which, Speight said, "no Associate representative was invited" and so "dissociated" himself from the document and its contents.

The recommendations from this "position paper" will effectively cede ICC's executive power and financial control to the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB.

For the three boards, the proposals included permanent membership of an Executive Committee that would override all other committees, exemptions from a new system of Test match promotion and relegation and the re-vamping of ICC's financial model carving out for them a greater proportion of the ICC's gross earnings.

Speight's comments indicate that not all members of the F&CA were aware of the "working group position paper" proposals. The emai, though, prompted an angry response from one Associate official, who said the details of the proposals and Speight's public statement revealed that A&A interests had not been properly guarded.

In its first formal statement, the ICC pointed out that the recommendations were put together by a "working group" of the F&CA committee, and would be discussed when the ICC Board meets in Dubai from January 27 to 29. They have emphasised in the past that the document given to the Boards of Full Member nations during the January 9 special meeting was not an ICC F&CA committee document and its details were still up for discussion.

Speight's comments puts the focus on the F&CA "working group". This working group, it has been ascertained, was concentrated around the three boards who stand to gain the most out of the position paper draft. It comprised Giles Clarke of the ECB, Wally Edwards of Cricket Australia and N Srinivasan of BCCI, assisted by a clutch of commercial executives: Dean Kino (general manager of legal and business affairs, Cricket Australia), John Perera (commercial director ECB) and Sundar Raman (chief operating officer, IPL). Kino and Raman also form a two-man technical committee in the Champions League T20, one of the world's wealthiest cricket tournaments.

Cricket Australia's only comment to ESPNcricinfo was, "As usual, there are a range of important matters up for discussion at the ICC Executive Board meeting. The outcome of that meeting and any decisions made will be communicated by the ICC. Until that time, we won't be making any comment." On Sunday, Clarke's response to the Observer newspaper about the issue was: "There's not much I can say about a draft. We get through a lot of those." The BCCI has made no comment.

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