Ganguly gets high-profile assistance for appeal

Sourav Ganguly, who decided to appeal the two-Test ban imposed on him due to slow over-rates, will have a hearing via teleconference with Tim Castle, the ICC's appeals commissioner, on Thursday.

He will have help from high places when his hearing takes place after the first Test against South Africa, according to a report in The Times of India. Siddhartha Shankar Roy, a former chief minister of West Bengal and a renowned lawyer, and Ushanath Banerjee, the BCCI's legal adviser, will assist Ganguly with his appeal against the ban imposed on him after India's game against Pakistan on November 13.

It was Ganguly's second transgression within the year, which meant he would be automatically suspended, according to ICC rules. But Ganguly appealed, saying that time was lost due to the dew factor. If his appeal is turned down by Castle on November 25, he will be forced to miss the next Test at Kolkata, as well as the first Test against Bangladesh next month.