V R Manohar to be Harbhajan's lawyer for ban appeal hearing

MUMBAI: The Cricket Board has appointed V R Manohar as the lawyer to represent off spinner Harbhajan Singh when the International Cricket Council (ICC) hears his appeal against the three-Test ban imposed on him.
    
The ban on the bowler was imposed by match referee Mike Procter after the acrimonious second Test against Australia at Sydney earlier this month.
    
"Mr Manohar, who has been appointed by BCCI as Harbhajan Singh's lawyer, will sit at the BCCI office in Mumbai when the appeal against his ban will be heard on January 29 and 30," said BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah on Thursday.
    
"Mr Manohar (father of BCCI President-elect Shashank Manohar) will communicate to the concerned persons in Australia via a teleconference," he added.
    
The bowler was found guilty of racially abusing Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds by Procter at a post-match hearing leading to a furore in the country with the BCCI terming the verdict 'unacceptable'.
    
The BCCI convened an emergency working committee meeting and decided to fight the ban. The Indian team management and Harbhajan were asked to file an appeal against the ban.
    
The ICC responded by asking New Zealand High Court Judge, Justice John Hansen, as the Appeals Commissioner to hear Harbhajan's appeal and declared that the bowler was free to play till the hearing was conducted.
    
Harbhajan was omitted from the third Test eleven at Perth before regaining his place in the squad for the fourth and final Test currently in progress at Adelaide.