Lorgat hints at quick resolution to WADA deadlock

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, has said the ICC is on the verge of finding a solution to the contentious whereabouts clause of the WADA Anti-Doping code and could find a consensus on it by next week.

"We are very close to resolving the issue of the whereabouts clause. It is the only contentious point of the WADA resolve," Lorgat said. "We have got a board meeting coming up next week with the ICC executive board members. We are working closely with all our cricket members. We will present that final proposal to the board and hopefully, by next week we should have found a consensus on that particular proposal."

The clause requires cricketers to furnish details of their whereabouts three months in advance to the World Anti-Doping Agency. Players rejected the WADA code because of this clause, saying it represented a violation of privacy and a security threat.

The subcontinent is set to host the ODI World Cup next year and Lorgat said the ICC was working in collaboration with the DDCA to improve the standards of the Feroze Shah Kotla wicket. The ground has come under the scanner since the abandoned ODI between India and Sri Lanka last year. It has also drawn flak from IPL captains Anil Kumble and Gautam Gambhir during the course of the tournament.

"The only thing we can do is to work with the DDCA. We have got Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch consultant, he will work with them over the next few months. It is an important World Cup venue. So now to the end of the year, we will work with the DDCA to get the pitch upto the required standard," Lorgat said.