ICC unhappy over Champions League scheduling

The ICC has indicated its displeasure over the conduct of the Twenty20 Champions League immediately after the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September and has written about this in an email sent to its member boards. The ICC's stand comes a day before officials of the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa (CSA) meet to finalise details of the Twenty20 tournament.

The email, as reported on cricketnirvana.com, said the scheduling of an international event within seven days of an ICC tournament is contrary to ICC rules. It also said broadcasters ESPN-Star Sports had reportedly stated their concern over the close proximity of the two tournaments devaluing the importance of the Champions Trophy. The Champions Trophy will be held for September 11-28, while the Champions League is scheduled for September 29-October 8 in India.

Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer, said he was not aware of the email, but felt the ICC should not be concerned over the Champions League. "The Champions League is an inter-club event and not an international competition, Shetty told the website. "If India were playing close to Champions Trophy then it would be prudent for some objection."

The Champions League has already generated controversy, with the ECB planning to go ahead with its own tournament, slated for October in Sharjah, after disagreements with the BCCI over various rules and regulations, including the ban on players from the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL), the share-holding pattern and profit-sharing formula.

On the other hand, the Champions Trophy faces the threat of player pullouts after the ICC decided to go ahead with the tournament in Pakistan despite security concerns.