Ponting demands ICC action for Windies snub in awards night

Sydney, Nov 5 (UNI) Australian captain Ricky Ponting has demanded the ICC take action against the West Indies for snubbing ICC awards night on Friday in Mumbai.

A furious Ponting said the West Indies no-show was a strategy to get extra rest before the Champions Trophy final and has urged the ICC to investigate the snub.

''... it'll definitely be looked at by the ICC. There will be some sort of breach there I would imagine, but that's for them (ICC) to decide,'' Ponting, who was honoured with ICC Player of the Year and Test Player of the Year, was quoted as saying by the Age Newspaper.

Australia did not want going to the ICC ceremony so close to the final, but had to go becuase of contractual obligations. The team saw red when it arrived on the red carpet and learned that no West Indies players were not there -- only coach Bennett King was present.

''We all had to go. No choice. No option,'' Ponting told Herald Sun.

''The agreement that we signed said we had to attend one official function through the course of the month,'' he said.

West Indies, meanwhile, said lost luggage after a flight from Jaipur on Friday was the reason for the non-attendance.

''We travelled from Jaipur and did not get our luggage until Friday night,'' team spokesman Imran Khan said.

''We couldn't attend without our clothes. We also had to change hotels after getting to our first hotel. It did give the boys an opportunity to rest up. But that was not the reason for not going,'' he told The Age newspaper.

The Australian squad made the hour-long bus trip from the team hotel and both teams had been expected to attend as part of their contractual obligations.

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