BCCI bars Chawla from playing for Hampshire

New Delhi, Jul 17 (UNI) In move aimed as a snub to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), the BCCI has barred young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla from playing for Hampshire since the English county side features players from the rebel Twenty20 tournament in their ranks.

South Africa-born wicket-keeper Nic Pothas, former Proteas pacer Nantie Hayward and former Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey are the ICL cricketers playing for Hampshire and the BCCI is keen to ensure that contracted players like Chawla are not seen in the same mix as the 'rebels'.

''Piyush Chawla will not be going (to Hampshire) because there are a few ICL players in that team,'' BCCI secretary Niranajn Shah told cricketnirvana.com.

Chawla was due to replace another ICL player, former Kiwi fast bowler Shane Bond in the team.

Interestingly however, the BCCI allowed stylish middle-order batsman VVS Laxman to sign up with another English county side Nottinghamshire who also have three ICL players in New Zealand all-rounders Andre Adams and Chris Cairns alongwith England discard wicket-keeper-batsman Chris Read on their rolls.

When this was pointed out Shah said, ''Even Laxman will be asked not to go to Nottinghamshire.'' Laxman was supposed to join Nottinghamshire at the end of the Test series in Sri Lanka next month.

The BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are locked in a dispute over the presence of ICL players in county cricket.

While the BCCI does not approve of the presence of ICL players in the county circuit, the ECB say they are bound by UK law which has allowed 25 ICL players to play for 15 of the 18 English counties.

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