Event technical committee confirms squad replacements

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The ICC has confirmed the event technical committee of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 has approved replacement players in the Pakistan and India squads for the tournament, which runs from 30 April to 16 May in the West Indies.

The confirmations were conveyed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on behalf of the event technical committee on Tuesday.

Mohammad Sami and Abdur Rehman have replaced Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat in the Pakistan squad while Murali Vijay has replaced India opener Virender Sehwag.

The three players were declared unfit by their respective boards. As a result of this, the PCB and the BCCI chose to seek to get them replaced for the entire event.

The 29-year-old Sami has played 34 Tests and 83 ODIs but has yet to make an appearance in a Twenty20 International while Rehman has represented Pakistan in two Tests, 11 ODIs and two T20Is. His last T20I was more than two years ago, against Kenya at Nairobi Gymkhana.

Vijay, the 26-year-old from Chennai, has played five Tests and one ODI.

Any injury-based replacement requires a written submission to the event technical committee along with a diagnosis from a medical practitioner as to the extent of the injury. Once replaced, a player cannot return to the squad.

As with all players in the tournament, the eligibility of a replacement player is subject to approval by the ICC before that player can be officially added to the squad.

The event technical committee of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 consists of David Richardson (ICC, chairman), Robert Bryan (Tournament Director), Campbell Jamieson (IDI representative), Tony Howard (WICB representative), Alan Wilkins (independent nomination) and Sanjay Manjrekar (independent nomination).

Pakistan opens its title defence against Bangladesh in St Lucia on 1 May and then takes on world champion Australia the following day at the same venue. Both matches will start 1330 local time (GMT -4).

India, the 2007 champion, opens its tournament with a match against qualifier Afghanistan in St Lucia on 1 May before taking on South Africa the following day at the same venue. Both matches will start at 0930 local time (GMT -4)