Pollock in charge for Trinidad ODIs

FORMER South African skipper Shaun Pollock, who belatedly joined the Caribbean tour after recovering from ankle injury, will captain the Proteas for the back-to-back ODIs at the Queen’s Park Oval. This was decided after regular skipper Graeme Smith was handed a four-match ICC ban. He was found guilty of time-wasting in the third one-day at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) found South Africa guilty of a slow over rate during the third one-dayer in Barbados. Smith was also fined 30 percent of his undisclosed match fee and the rest of the team was docked 15 percent of their fees.

South Africa has already won the series after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead with back-to-back victories in Jamaica last weekend and in Barbados. “Graeme Smith will not appeal the ban and the captaincy will be taken over by Shaun Pollock,” South Africa’s media  manager Moabi Litheko said yesterday. Smith’s penalty was automatically upgraded from a Level 2 to a Level 3 breach because it was his second violation of this provision in the last 12 months. Level 3 breaches carry a suspension of four to eight one-day internationals. Players have a right of appeal for Level 3 breaches, which must be exercised within 24 hours of notification to the player of the referee’s decision. Subject to any appeal, the ban will apply with immediate effect.

ICC match referee Jeff Crowe said Smith was put on probation last year after the ICC Champions Trophy match against the West Indies at The Oval in England. “Graeme had been warned at a similar hearing last September when in breach and has been advised on numerous occasions that his over rates are too slow, including being fined after the second ODI of this series,” Crowe said. Fast bowlers Charl Langeveldt and Makhaya Ntini also collected further fines for excessive appealing in the third one-dayer in Barbados. Both players pleaded guilty and last-over hero Langeveldt was fined 20 percent of his match fee while Ntini was 25 percent.

Crowe found Smith in breach of Clause C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for conduct contrary to the spirit of the game on the basis of time wasting in relation to South Africa’s over rate. After a hearing conducted in Trinidad on Thursday, Smith was penalised for South Africa’s slow over rate. Crowe reached his conclusion after a hearing attended by Smith, South Africa team manger Goolam Raja, South Africa selector Haroon Lorgat and match umpires Darrell Hair, Eddie Nicholls and Billy Doctrove. Apart from the absence of the regular skippe, South Africa could be further weakened if all-rounder Jacques Kallis does not fully recover from a blow to his hand he received while trying to field a powerful shot played by third one day centurion Chris Gayle.