Azhar hasn't applied for reinstatement: ICC

AHMEDABAD: Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, banned for life for his alleged role in match-fixing, hasn't applied to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have his ban lifted, its CEO Malcolm Speed has said.

"No, he has not applied to the ICC so far," Speed said. "But he may apply and he may not apply," said the Australian on his arrival here for the India-West Indies Champions Trophy match on Thursday.

Azharuddin, who played 99 Tests and 334 one-day internationals and led India in 47 Tests and 174 ODIs, was banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in December 2000 for his alleged role in match fixing.

The BCCI banned Azharuddin, along with Ajay Sharma, on the basis of an internal inquiry headed by K. Madhavan, a retired director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following an independent report on match-fixing published by the CBI.

It is widely perceived that the BCCI, then headed by A.C. Muthiah, acted in haste in banning the two players for life besides banning two other players, Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja and then team physiotherapist Ali Irani for five years.

Prabhakar and Jadeja have completed their ban periods, while the punishment had little effect on Irani as he continued to do his medical practice.

Azharuddin later filed a suit against the ban in his native Hyderabad, and the case is still going on.

According to the ICC rules for reinstating players banned for match fixing into the game, the first step is that the concerned player should write to the ICC CEO making a formal request to have his ban rescinded.

The CEO would then consider the request and has the absolute discretion to reinstate the player if he was satisfied it was appropriate to do so.

In the case of Azharuddin, if Speed is not sure of exercising his discretion he can request ICC's Code of Conduct commissioner Michael Beloff QC to constitute an official inquiry.

The inquiry panel usually involves the ICC Code of Conduct chairman and two other members of the Code of Conduct Commission, which has representatives drawn from the 10 ICC Test playing countries and six leading associate, or second rung, member countries.

The process of conducting the inquiry would be at the discretion of its chairman, and if a hearing was constituted the banned player would get the opportunity to be present at, or listen to, all of the evidence and to question any witnesses, in accordance with the principles of natural justice.

The inquiry would report to the ICC's executive board within three months from the date it is established. The executive board would then consider the matter and take a decision on whether or not the banned player should be reinstated. The board's decision would be final and binding with no right of appeal.

As per an executive board decision February 10, 2001, a life ban is for a minimum of 20 years.