ICC knock-out tournament

Onkar Singh

International Cricket Council president Malcolm Gray on Thursday said if the Government of India does not respond positively by April 30 to the offer to host the ICC knock-out tournament in 2002, options of moving the tournament to another country will be considered.

"We have told all the ministers of the Union Government that if we do not get a positive response by the end of next month we will weigh various options available to us to stage ICC knock out tournament," Gray told newsmen, adding that Pakistan and Australia could be possible alternatives.

But why only Pakistan and Australia?

"Yes, these are two possible options, but we have others as well. We have considered England and South Africa also as possible alternatives. But, at the moment, I am not thinking of any such eventuality," Gray told rediff.com.

He said ICC is considering setting up a panel of 25 international umpires who would do the umpiring in one-day and Test matches.

"We are trying to make umpiring more professional and planning to introduce youngsters so that they can withstand pressure," he said.

He complimented the Indian cricket team for its fine performance and said the India-Australia Test series is perhaps the best played in recent times.

"I must congratulate the Indian cricket team on its fine performance. They have got some fine young cricketers.

"When I was in Chennai someone asked me to predict the outcome of the Test series. I said that it might end up in tie. I was almost proved correct," he said.

Asked to list the factors that contributed to Australia's defeat, Gray said the kind of cricket he played was no match to the kind of cricket that is being played now, hence he would not like to pass any comment on it.

He also lauded the job done by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Delhi Police vis-a-vis the match-fixing scandal. "But for them cricket would have been a messy affair even now," he said.

On Wednesday, Gray had a brief meeting with Home Minister L K Advani. C K Khanna, vice-president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, who accompanied Gray for the meeting said Advani's response regarding the staging of the ICC knockout tournament in India next year was positive.

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