BCCI to work out a mutually acceptable solution

The BCCI will work for a mutually acceptable solution to resolve a contentious anti-doping clause, which India's top players have refused to sign, when its Working Committee assembles for an emergency meeting in Mumbai on Sunday.

The players are reluctant to sign the controversial 'Whereabouts Requirements' clause of the anti-doping code which, they claim, infringes on their privacy.

The BCCI officials are not willing to go on a collision course with the ICC on the issue and are keen to thrash out a solution which is acceptable to all.

The BCCI will be heavily relying on the ICC's legal expert Iain Higgins to brief the players and clarify some of the contentious points in the WADA code.

"We are keen to find a solution to the problem. The players have certain reservations about the code and we need to clarify all the points. The ICC lawyer's presence will help in removing some of the doubts," a top BCCI official said.

"There is absolutely no confrontation between the ICC and the BCCI on this issue. There are also no differences with the players. It is just a matter of getting some clarity on some of the clauses. We are hopeful of working out a solution," the official said.

Since the Indian players have failed to adhere to the July 31 deadline to sign the form, the BCCI will also have to try and ensure that the players are not penalised for missing the deadline.

The ICC laywer will have discussions with the BCCI officials as well as the players to give them an idea as to how the WADA system functions and also allay apprehensions that informations could be leaked out.

Since most of the top cricketers from other countries have not raised objections to the clause, the Indian players may not get much support from the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA). 

Higgins, however, will not be present at the Working Committee meeting where the players have also been invited to deliberate on the vexed issue. 

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat has sought to put some pressure on the Indians players ahead of the meeting, saying that there was no further reason to delay the implementation of the WADA code.

"I understand and appreciate that there will be some concerns and reservations from all players and I am sure they feel that those concerns are genuine. However, the ICC has spent the past few months addressing all of those concerns, and, having taken great care to do so, we see no further reason to delay the full implementation of the requirements specified by the WADA Code," Lorgat had said. 

The ICC has asked all its members to get their players sign the WADA code but the BCCI is faced with the reluctance of 11 of its chosen cricketers, including two women, to comply with it.

The cricketers are unhappy with the clause which makes it necessary for them to give details about their availability for one hour every day for random out-of-competition testing by WADA officials.