Yorkshire Thrown Out Of Twenty20

Nottinghamshire will now take a quarter-finals place in the Twenty20 Cup, following Yorkshire’s disqualification for fielding an ineligible player.  The scheduled quarter-final between Durham and Yorkshire was postponed by the England & Wales Cricket Board shortly before Monday’s programmed start, after doubts surfaced over the eligibility of 17 year old Azeem Rafiq.

Rafiq represented Yorkshire in their June win over Notts, but the Pakistan-born bowler had not been registered for the first team and did not hold a British passport.

Nottinghamshire will now face Durham in the last eight but both Yorkshire and Durham are expected to appeal, having been given a deadline of Friday 11th July to pursue the matter.

The ruling is particularly poignant with the finalists from this year’s Twenty20 qualifying for cricket’s inaugural Champions League later this year, with massive prize money at stake in the September tournament.