Dalmiya says the battle isn't over yet

Jagmohan Dalmiya has not given up on saving Sourav Ganguly yet © Getty Images

The ICC appeals commissioner Michael Beloff upheld the six-match ban on Sourav Ganguly, but Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president, and current Cricket Association of Bengal president, has said that "the match is not over yet." The Times of India quotes Dalmiya as saying that the Indian board was still considering its options. It appears that Dalmiya is hinting at taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as there are no further appeals left within the ICC framework.

Sourav Ganguly, for his part, seems to have accepted the decision. "I could only appeal. The ICC has turned it down. I accept the verdict," he is quoted as saying. Ganguly's appeal, received in the form of written submissions, was turned down by Beloff, who contended that, "Cricket is a game that is played in all kinds of climates. It cannot be right that the mere fact of the heat and humidity will excuse a failure to achieve the minimum over rate."