MUMBAI: The Champions Trophy for cricket which was held in September and aired on Max and DD was considered a let down by many followers of the game.

Not only was India eliminated early but there were pointless matches like the one between Australia and the US which the Australian captain Ricky Ponting himself admitted was a waste of time.

Therefore it.should come as no surprise to learn that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is looking to review the tournament's format for 2006. Discussions regarding the same will take place at the ICC Board meetings in March 2005. The next edition of the Champions Trophy will be held in India.

At a recently concluded meeting the ICC considered a number of alternatives to the current five year calendar for international cricket. They include extending the calendar to a six year period and an option of introducing a modified programme for two members.

The ICC also considered the recent situation where a player banned for life for corruption offences is granted media accreditation for an international
match.

The ICC member countries have agreed to introduce a standard media accreditation condition for international cricket. This means that players banned for match fixing and related activities will not be granted media accreditation for international matches and events while the ban is in force. The board took the view that given cricket's history and the obligation to protect the game from corruption such an action is justified and reasonable.