BCCI not taking Hayden-Harbhajan issue to ICC: BCCI CAO

Kochi, Feb 28 (UNI) Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty today said ''the BCCI will not be taking up Mathew Hayden's recent comments on Harbhajan Singh issue with the International Cricket Council (ICC), as its an internal matter of Cricket Australia (CA).'' Speaking to reporters here, Mr Shetty said CA found Hayden guilty of breach of conduct and action had been taken against him.

''The comments are made outside the field of play and the BCCI has nothing to do with it as it is an internal matter of CA,'' he said.

He said the Indian cricketers down-under was focussed, well-behaved and concentrating on cricket.

Allaying fears that test and domestic cricket would pale before the T20 cricket, Mr Shetty said ''the same question was raised 25 years back when one-day cricket was introduced, but other forms of cricket had only benefitted from it.'' He said the Ashes series, Australia-India or India-Pakistan test series were drawing crowd and the standrad of cricket had increased, especially in fielding, with the advent of one-day and T20 cricket.

''All three forms of cricket - test, one-day and T20 - had something to offer to the game and they would co-exist without any difficulty,'' he noted.

On the proposed new international stadium here, Mr Shetty said the ICC had outlined certain parameters that the boundary should be 80 yards, 750 to 800 sq-ft dressing room, umpire and medical rooms, 10 commentators' box, five-star hotel facilities, proximity to airport and allied sporting infrastrcuture at the ground.

Mr Shetty, who visited four to five plots for the proposed stadium and expressed satisfaction over them, said BCCI had decided that the State Associations without own stadium or ground on long-term lease should clarify with the BCCI on the steps taken for constructing or leasing stadiums by April 2009.

He said the Board had increased the infrastructure fund subsidy to Rs 50 crore and ground equipment worth Rs 50 lakh would be given to State association-owned stadiums.

Kerala Cricket Association President T R Balakrishnan said the association had written to the State Government to provide land for the stadium.

After the acquisition of land, the Rs 200 crore stadium would be completed in two to three years time, he noted.

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