India skipper Sourav Ganguly has despatched another letter to the International Cricket Council contending that an hour's play was lost during Saturday's Platinum Jubilee One-Day International against Pakistan due to dew and injuries to players while the match was extended by only 58 minutes.
The missive, a follow-up of Ganguly's appeal against Match Referee Clive Lloyd's decision to slap a two-Test suspension on him for breaching ICC's Code of Conduct in relation to his team's slow over rate, was sent on Wednesday night, sources close to Ganguly said.
"The letter is an addition to the appeal and contains information which strengthens his case," the sources added.
Ganguly, along with seasoned cricket administrators, a former Ranji Trophy cricketer and legal experts, watched video footage of the Pakistan innings before drafting the letter.
The Indian captain, who was scheduled to leave for Kanpur on Wednesday, deferred his departure and flew to the city only on Thursday morning. The Kanpur Test begins on November 20.
"The basic contention of the letter sent to Appeals Commissioner Tim Castle through the ICC is that time was not wasted intentionally but lost primarily due to the dew which played havoc with the ground conditions," the sources said.
The video clippings showed that mud had to be wiped off repeatedly from the boot studs of the fielders and the ball cleaned every now and then. Besides, the white ball had to be changed four times.
"On top of this, Salman Butt had cramps twice. On the first occasion he called for a runner. This caused some delay as Butt and the runner had to change their positions," they said.
