Uncertainty overshadows cup campaign

Jun 24 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

DURHAM continue their bid to qualify for this autumn’s Twenty20 Champions League at the Riverside tonight with chief executive David Harker admitting they still have no idea if captain Dale Benkenstein will be allowed to compete in it. And he fears the eventual make-up of the competition could be decided in the law courts, writes STUART RAYNER.

The Riversiders entertain Yorkshire within sight of their first appearance in the Twenty20 Cup knockout stages and the timing could not be better. This year the competition’s finalists will compete for £2.5m against teams from India, Australia and South Africa – or at least they might.

With the rules of the competition still being drawn up, the head of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, is standing firm on his insistence that no-one from the Indian Cricket League will be allowed to play. There has even been rumours that the Indian teams will boycott the event, which they are expected to host, or that any team with an ICL player will be barred from playing. Fifteen of the 18 English counties have ICL players in their squad, including Durham’s Benkenstein.

For all Modi’s public posturing, however, the counties are no clearer as to the actual situation. “Like everyone else, I’m reliant on what I pick up over the wires,” Harker admitted. “We’ve had no official contact from anyone yet. Our understanding is the Australians are still drafting the regulations but clearly there’s going to be an amount of posturing from the Indians. We haven’t had any contact about the regulations and I don’t think ECB have either.”

Other pressing issues remain unresolved. Durham all-rounder Albie Morkel, for example, has already played for two teams – the Titans in South Africa and IPL team Chennai Super Kings – who have qualified for the Champions League and it is yet to be decided who will have first call on his services. The inaugural competition has been pencilled in for September 29 to October 8, when a number of the stars of the IPL and its Australian equivalent, the Big Bash, are due to tour India with Australia. Harker believes Durham must ignore the uncertainty.

“I wouldn’t say it’s worrying because there’s not an awful lot we can do about it,” he argued. “We’ve kind of assumed all along there would be a real risk Dale Benkenstein would not be able to take part but we’ve always felt we should be able to even if Dale cannot. But this will all be irrelevant if we don’t qualify for the competition. Regardless of what the rules are, all we can try and do is be successful in the Twenty20 Cup.”

With the counties working within European law and India not bound by it or seemingly sympathetic to it, there remains a danger the rules could be decided in the law courts.

“It’s very difficult because the Indian board does not operate under the same restrictions the English board does and there doesn’t seem to be too much understanding of that,” Harker said. “Certainly people are talking about lawyers sniffing around should any player or county be barred from the competition.”

Durham will select from the squad which earned a thrilling tie at Yorkshire on Sunday.

Lancashire joined Durham at the top of the North Division following a nine-wicket win over Derbyshire at Old Trafford last night. Both sides have 10 points but the Dynamos have a game in hand and a better run rate.

DURHAM (from): Di Venuto, Mustard (wk), W Smith, Benkenstein (c), Morkel, Pollock, B Harmison, Breese, Plunkett, Park, S Harmison, Borthwick, Killeen.