Old Trafford to host Yorkshire hearing

10:02pm Tuesday 8th July 2008

Yorkshire will have to travel across the Pennines to Old Trafford to answer allegations they fielded an ineligible player in their Twenty20 Cup match against Nottinghamshire.

The England and Wales Cricket Board on Tuesday confirmed a discipline commission panel will be convened on Thursday.

The business of the meeting will be to ascertain Yorkshire's responsibility for the apparent inappropriate registration of teenage off-spinner Azeem Rafiq before their victory at Trent Bridge on June 27.

Concerns about Rafiq's ineligibility surfaced on Monday and resulted in the embarrassing last-minute postponement of Yorkshire's quarter-final against Durham at Chester-le-Street.

It is anticipated Thursday's hearing will conclude with a decision over whether Yorkshire must replay their match against Nottinghamshire - which saw them qualify for the last eight at their opponents' expense - be ejected from the competition, or some other course of action followed.

The panel at Old Trafford will be chaired by Judge Edward Slinger, with James Pickup QC and Simon Schanschieff also sitting - and the ECB have also confirmed they will issue a fresh statement after the hearing.

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