What is going on ?

Apparently, Azeem Rafiq is not (or at least, may not be) eligible to play for the first team; something to do with ICC regulations.

Since he actually did play in the last group match, which Yorkshire won, that match may now need to be replayed; the quarter-final was postponed until this is all figured out.

Didnt he also play for the England U15 side ;Im not sure if I heard that right last night

Didnt he also play for the England U15 side ;Im not sure if I heard that right last night

He's legitimately English in one sense; but the ICC regulations are something different, and in order to be allowed to play at first-class level he has to fulfil those regulations, which he - apparently - may not do.

Don't ask me why there are different rules for second-team and U15 matches than there are for first-class and Test ones. Beats me.

He's legitimately English in one sense; but the ICC regulations are something different, and in order to be allowed to play at first-class level he has to fulfil those regulations, which he - apparently - may not do.

Don't ask me why there are different rules for second-team and U15 matches than there are for first-class and Test ones. Beats me.

Cheers for that:thumbsup:

How can professional sports teams playing for a lot of money and prestige allow someone ineligible to play?

This is the sort of thing that happens in pub team/sunday league football...

How can professional sports teams playing for a lot of money and prestige allow someone ineligible to play?

This is the sort of thing that happens in pub team/sunday league football...

Well, he is eligible for some competitions/teams, but not for others. It's rather asking for trouble to have different sets of rules.

Agreed, though, it should not happen. It's understandable, but not excusable.

That will cost Yorkshire a lot of money thanks to Stewart Regan the glorified pen pusher, What a complete muppet. People have lost jobs for less than that and if he had and conscience he would resign and let someone in that does know the job

Yorkshire expelled from tournament. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article4312404.ece)

If the article is accurate, and Yorks. knew of the eligibility problem for over a year, I can't say I'm surprised.

This is interesting from the very end of the BBC report

Raffiq played a bit-part role in the match against Nottinghamshire, conceding 18 runs off his two overs and having a run-out appeal turned down.

I would have thought the Champions League model was standard - where teams have to register players in advance (checked by ecb) and if someone isn't on the list - they can't play

This is interesting from the very end of the BBC report

Raffiq played a bit-part role in the match against Nottinghamshire, conceding 18 runs off his two overs and having a run-out appeal turned down.

I would have thought the Champions League model was standard - where teams have to register players in advance (checked by ecb) and if someone isn't on the list - they can't play

It should be, but in many sports (and probably in other walks of life entirely) it is not. Someone at Yorkshire thought he was eligible; nobody at the ECB checked on it until after the event.

I do wonder how coincidental it is that the issue came to light on the very day the quarter-final was due to be played, and not before. I also wonder what would've happened had it not come to light until AFTER the quarter-final, assuming Yorks. won it .. would Durham go through by default? Or would they have to play a quarter-final over again against Notts.?

Durham still argue that to make them play a delayed match is unfair to them - which it is, but letting them go through by default would be considerably MORE unfair to Nottinghamshire.

news story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/7500761.stm)

Finally the cricket governing body get something right :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

COME ON DURHAM! :D

Don't make sense to me. This lad can captain England youth but he's not allowed to play for Yorkshire.

Jacques Rudolf and Gerard Brophy can play too, even though they're South African. But this lad who goes to school here and lives here can't.

Crickets gone bonkers.

I suppose it's only twenty20 though and not proper cricket though.

cause 20/20 is proper cricket just a shorter form of the game . and Warwickshire fielded a inelgible player in a competion and just got a fine .

There's no excuse for Yorkshire, though. They knew he wasn't properly registered more than a year ago.

The ECB are an absolute disgrace it is run by a set of clueless cowardly buffoons.:rant:

YORKSHIRE YORKSHIRE YORKSHIRE:hihi::thumbsup:

twenty20 ain't proper cricket and never will be proper cricket.

It's just rounders wi nobs on.

The ECB are an absolute disgrace it is run by a set of clueless cowardly buffoons.:rant:

It's not the ECB that ******** up a simple matter of player registration. It's Yorkshire.

It's not the ECB that ******** up a simple matter of player registration. It's Yorkshire.

I'm guessing that Yorkshire naively thought that as the ECB says he can play for England at youth level then he can play for Yorkshire.

Seems pretty ridiculous to me. But you've right in the respect that they should have checked but in that situation would you, I know I wouldn't have.

I'm guessing that Yorkshire naively thought that as the ECB says he can play for England at youth level then he can play for Yorkshire.


They knew he could not. Apparently, they knew that more than a year ago.

Threads merged, and keep it on topic please guys.

Ta.

Boycott had some interesting stuff to say about this earlier on TMS. Yorkshire County Cricket Club were unaware that he was unregistered but Yorkshire Cricket were and they are different organisations

After appeal, Yorkshire remain out of the tournament, but for different technical reasons.

Law 21(10) (I think it's that one) says that once the umpires and the scorers have agreed on a result, the results cannot be changed for any reason. Consequently, Yorkshire are restored as winners against Nottinghamshire, which puts Notts. back to 4th in the group. However, they are docked two points as penalty for the offence, which drops them behind Glamorgan in the list of best 3rd-placed teams. Glamorgan will now face Durham in the quarter-final.

It was always inevitable that three out of the four teams involved would be unhappy at the outcome, and it turns out that Glamorgan are the happy ones.

It's not the ECB that ******** up a simple matter of player registration. It's Yorkshire.
Make no mistake, Notts were the prime movers of bringing the matter to the ECB's attention (Collyer is from Notts), as they thought it might be a way to get another go for the 2.5 million.

Looks like they have now been gazumped by Glamorgan; the same Glamorgan that jumped the queue for test ground recognition, and were awarded the first test v the Aussies next year.

Harsh as the punishment may be, it's Yorkshire's fault for not registering the player. Their chief executive and committee were more interested in getting dogs banned from Headingley (although I believe Geordies will still be able to bring their girlfriends to the tests there) , than players' registrations in order.

The season has well and truly gone down the pan in the last two weeks.
I was hoping that the 20/20 punishment might have galvanized the team, to put in a serious challenge for the title.

From what I saw at Canterbury on Sunday afternoon (McGrath and Rudolph excepted) , it has had the opposite effect.

I think the real losers were the 13,000 who turned up at Durham to watch a game, and were told to foxtrot oscar home again.
It would have been sensible to have played the game, and sorted out registration issues and punishments afterwards, but when have sense and the ECB gone hand in hand.

I think the real losers were the 13,000 who turned up at Durham to watch a game, and were told to foxtrot oscar home again.

Fair point, but...

[quote]It would have been sensible to have played the game, and sorted out registration issues and punishments afterwards

..would have meant both Yorks and Durham playing a completely meaningless game in an already cluttered schedule. I'm not sure how that would have improved matters.

What ought to come out of this is a department that makes sure the announced team are all eligible to play BEFORE the game takes place, or else, which checks all the results immediately (within 24 hours), so that the next time someone boobs and fields an ineligible player, appropriate sanctions can be enforced in good time.