Ban is lifted, Sourav in action on Sunday

NEW DELHI: Sourav Ganguly is a free bird again. The two-Test ban imposed on him for delaying the Platinum Jubilee match in Kolkata was finally lifted on Friday, allowing him to lead India in the second Test against South Africa with a clear brow.
ICC''s Appeals Commissioner Tim Castle overturned the ban imposed by match referee Clive Lloyd earlier this month.Castle pointed out: "The circumstances were particularly unusual in this game and they all conspired to cause the delays which occurred."
Ganguly expressed his relief in Kolkata and promptly thanked God for allowing him to play on his home ground. He also thanked Jagmohan Dalmiya and coach John Wright for their moral support and S S Ray and Usha Nath Banerjee for their legal counsel in the entire process.
TNN learnt that the Indian captain won the reprieve by evocatively arguing, during the three-hour tele-conference on Thursday, that he had everything to lose and nothing to gain by deliberately wasting time during that match.
He meticulously listed the stoppages due to injuries, dew on the field and frequent changing of the ball as the main causes for the almost one-hour delay. But, more importantly, he touched an emotional chord with Castle by plainly confessing there was a lot more at stake for him personally than just a fine or ban.
"The umpires kept telling me. So I knew I could be penalised. But I also knew somebody else would take my place in the team (if I was suspended) and my position would be in jeopardy. So why would I do something so silly?" he asked Castle, according to sources who had helped Ganguly build his arguments. "I tried my best to finish the match on time. I would have only hurt myself by delaying. I am not a fool," he said. He convinced the Kiwi lawyer that the entire delay was more a case of time lost than time wasting. Castle apparently liked his frankness, gave him a patient hearing on Thursday and lifted the ban on Friday. Ganguly will be in action by Sunday.