Ganguly ruled out of Kanpur ODI

The confusion over Sourav Ganguly's involvement in the fifth one-day international at Kanpur was finally resolved after the Indian board issued a statement saying that he would not play.

According to the Press Trust of India, the BCCI secretary SK Nair said: "There will be no change in the team already selected, with Rahul Dravid as captain for the Kanpur ODI. Since less than 24 hours remains for the start of the match, the board felt that it was extremely important for the players to concentrate and focus on the match, so that they could bring out the best performance. In view of this, the board has decided to continue with the selected team for the Kanpur match."

Cricinfo had earlier reported that Ganguly was unlikely to play the match despite being cleared to do so after the Indian board appealed against the six-match ban imposed on him for slow over-rates. With Ganguly missing, Rahul Dravid will lead the team, with Dinesh Mongia likely to fill Ganguly's slot in the middle order.

The ICC has announced that The Hon. Michael Beloff QC, the Chairman of the ICC's code of conduct commission, will hear Ganguly's appeal against his ban within the next seven days, unless another agreement his reached. He will determine whether Ganguly has to serve his ban, or if any adjustment will be made.