Players to be on call for ICC

DUBAI // The International Cricket Council (ICC) says all members will comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) whereabouts rule for players starting next month. The announcement yesterday, following a meeting at the governing body's headquarter's in the UAE, comes just six weeks after India reversed itself and said it would comply with the controversial rule which requires elite athletes to make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day for all 365 days in a year.

Last year, Indian cricketers refused to meet a WADA deadline to comply to the rule, saying it intruded on their privacy and was a potential security risk. In October, the ICC suspended the clause until the Indian players' concerns were sorted out. The whereabouts rules goes into force on August 1. "All of us are now satisfied that we have a code and rules that will support out-of-competition testing and protect international cricket from those who wish to cheat," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive said in a statement. Our next steps are to educate the relevant players and administrators so that they understand their responsibilities under the new rules followed by 'live' implementation shortly thereafter."

David Howman, WADA director general, welcomed the ICC's agreement as "another sign from cricket's governing body that it is serious about protecting the integrity of the sport." "It will mean that the ICC's out-of-competition testing program, under which any player can be tested at any time, will now be strengthened and it is a good step forward for cricket," he added. * Agency