ICC offer to meet Dalmiya at KL

In a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock on the inclusion of Virender Sehwag in the Indian team for first Test against England, International Cricket Council president Malcolm Gray and chief executive Malcolm Speed on Thursday offered to fly to Kuala Lumpur for a meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India president Jagmohan Dalmiya.

The ICC proposed to meet on Saturday at this 'neutral' venue in a bid to reach a settlement ahead of the Test, beginning at Mohali on December 3.

The ICC want Virender Sehwag to be dropped from the playing eleven while the BCCI is adamant, saying the batsman served his ban in the third Test against South Africa, which the ICC ruled unofficial.

Highly-placed sources said the ICC has made "a number of offers" to Dalmiya to resolve the issue, resulting from the harsh punishments handed down by ICC match referee Mike Denness to Sachin Tendulkar and five other Indian players in the second Test against South Africa, and are now awaiting his response to the latest offer.

The offer to meet at Kuala Lumpur was made in the course of "intense discussions" between Gray and Speed, both of whom are in London, and Dalmiya, who is in Calcutta, the sources said.

Dalmiya, however, said nothing has been finalised. "Wait till tomorrow," was all he said while confirimg that there is indeed an offer from the ICC to meet at Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian capital had been suggested as "a neutral venue" although the distance between London and New Delhi is shorter, they said.

The ICC's offer was cited by the sources as being reflective of the governing body's desire to resolve the situation.

However, it seems the ICC is in no mood to compromise on its ruling that Sehwag should not play in Monday's Test though it is obvious that it will now not stick to its Friday noon deadline for the Indian board confirm its stand on Sehwag's inclusion.

The solutions offered by the ICC remain a closely guarded secret but the sources said the governing body wants an honourable way out for both sides.

The fact that both Gray and Speed are willing to travel all the way to Kuala Lumpur is seen by observers as a positive development after hard posturing on both sides.

Tendulkar's exoneration from ball tampering charges is seen as another positive factor which could help cool down temperatures.

The Mike Denness controversy

Mail Cricket Editor