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Adil Rashid’s importance to Yorkshire is also highly symbolic and the county will be relieved that differences have been patched up

David Hopps18-Sep-2018Adil Rashid is on the verge of confirming his commitment as a Yorkshire cricketer and signing a new all-format deal with the county.An anticipated four-year deal would bring a successful end to a fraught period during which Yorkshire expressed their dismay that Rashid had been recalled for England in Test cricket even though he was only on a white-ball contract for the county which was due to expire at the end of this season.To some extent, if Rashid retains international form, the deal is largely a public relations exercise because he will rarely be available for county cricket anyway, but it is an important symbolic moment for Yorkshire nonetheless.They have defied many off-the-mark assumptions that Rashid would never play for the county again and, as such, have prevented collateral damage to a concerted player development programme in Asian communities, headed by investment in the historic Park Avenue ground in Rashid’s home city of Bradford.Rashid initially responded angrily to Yorkshire’s complaints about his selection, saying: “If they treat me like they have done I have to think about the future in terms of which county I play for.”That led Yorkshire to make rapid attempts to defuse the situation, explaining that their issue was not with him but with the national selector Ed Smith. They contended that allowing England players to play Tests on white-ball only contracts would jeopardise the future of the County Championship and cause a gradual fall in England’s Test standards as a consequence.That protest was successful with Smith quickly conceding that next summer any player chosen for England in Tests must have signed a multi-format contract.Rashid has had many suitors – not least of them Worcestershire where he could have teamed up with his friend and England colleague, Moeen Ali.Joe Root has a word with Adil Rashid•Getty ImagesBut he is reluctant to leave Bradford where he has iconic status, and where faith in him has never wavered. He has been with Yorkshire’s age group sides since 10 years old and became the first Yorkshire-born cricketer of Pakistani heritage to represent the county. There would seem to be a natural role for him in the city once his career is completed.Yorkshire have also worked hard to address any misunderstandings, led by the chief executive Mark Arthur and director of cricket Martyn Moxon, with both involved in what appeared to be successful negotiations on Tuesday while Yorkshire played the opening day of their Championship match against Hampshire at Headingley.Differences with the coach Andrew Gale have also been part of the discussions, perhaps belatedly. Gale and Rashid had tactical differences when Gale was captain and then Gale was outraged when Rashid pleaded fatigue and did not play in a Championship-decider against Middlesex at Lord’s two years ago. Rashid also explained that his grandmother was ill.Notably, the coach at the time, Jason Gillespie, was more understanding about the decision which had been a long-standing arrangement.Yorkshire are now in the unlikely position of having two specialist leg-spinners on their staff, having signed Josh Poysden from Warwickshire on the assumption that Rashid’s white-ball deal would continue. It is not unique, however, as Mark Lawson was only on the Yorkshire staff when he first broke into the side.Such disruption to their squad building, at a time when their cricket budget faced cutbacks, was barely addressed by critics who could see no further than England’s international needs.Rashid is likely to be instructed by England to rest, in any event, before England’s World Cup preparations begin in early May with a limited overs series at home to Pakistan.In April, with the seamers predominating, Poysden will not hold high hopes of any cricket either.Rashid made limited impact in England’s 4-1 Test series victory over India, claiming 10 wickets at 30 apiece, but he produced one of the memories of the summer on the last day at the final Test Kia Oval when he intervened at a critical time with a monumental leg-break out of the footmarks to bowl India’s century-maker KL Rahul.A Test and one-day tour next month to Sri Lanka – the one-day squad will be announced on Wednesday – is inevitable.

Manchester United could be barred from playing in European competition next season even if they qualify for the Champions League.

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UEFA may bar Man UnitedClub continuing to fight for top-four finishCurrently sit sixth in Premier League table(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

United are likely to be playing European football next season although it remains to be seen if they will be in the Champions League. They are currently sixth, nine points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, but there is the prospect of them also qualifying for either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League, but they are now facing up to the potential of UEFA barring them altogether.

AdvertisementTHE EXPLANATION

Per The Sun, UEFA's new regulations on multi-club ownership means that clubs owned by the same party cannot compete in the same European competition. New United co-owner Ratcliffe also owns Ligue 1 club Nice, and at the time of writing, both clubs are set to qualify for the Europa League, even if the Premier League gains an extra Champions League place.

Were they each to qualify for the same competition, precedence would be given to the team that finished highest in their domestic league, which is currently Nice. United may well need to win the FA Cup to ensure they are granted priority.

However, there remains a situation in which both teams qualify for the Europa Conference League, and Nice do so via a higher Ligue 1 finish than United's Premier League ranking, and that would leave the Red Devils without any European football.

DID YOU KNOW?

United have a game in hand on fourth-placed Villa and winning that would bring them within six points of Unai Emery's men. They have a difficult run-in, though, in which they will play Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal before the conclusion of the campaign. They also have an FA Cup semi-final against Coventry coming up.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

United's next encounter comes against Brentford when the Premier League resumes. The two teams ahead of them, Villa and Tottenham, play Wolves and Luton Town respectively.

Mason Greenwood's loan club Getafe have been hit with a three-game partial stadium ban by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

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Getafe hit with punishment by RFEFSpanish side given partial stadium banFans abused Sevilla coach and playerWHAT HAPPENED?

The Madrid club were hit with a €27,000 fine and will have to close off part of their central stand for the next three games in La Liga as part of a punishment from Spanish football's governing body, it was announced on Wednesday.

AdvertisementTHE EXPLANATION

The partial closure is punishment for the racial and xenophobic abuse that was aimed at Sevilla coach Quique Sanchez Flores and Marcos Acuna in last week's La Liga game. The match was stopped by referee Iglesias Villanueva in the second half as part of the league's protocol for dealing with racism after racial insults were aimed at the defender and the coach.

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Spanish football has toughened its stance on racism following many high-profile incidents. Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has been a vocal critic of the lack of action taken to fight the issue in Spain after he was the target of abuse on many occasions.

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Sevilla boss Sanchez Florez was appalled after being insulted during the game. He said afterwards: "I don't want people to use the word gypsy as a racist insult. Some of the crowd think they can come to a game and say whatever they like. We're workers who need to be respected in the work space. I think it's abhorrent."

Arsenal emerged from the rubble of a tough result in the Premier League last time out in perfect fashion.

A week ago, Mikel Arteta defended his players profusely, but one thing he did not defend was VAR and the officials.

His rant at full-time after being defeated by Newcastle 1-0 was extraordinary. The club even released a statement pleading for better officials. Both instances were peculiar given the vast majority of calls at St James' Park were subjective.

Nonetheless, Arsenal have been keen to move on from that saga. A comfortable win over Sevilla in the Champions League in midweek was backed up by a 3-1 victory over newly promoted Burnley on Saturday. Prior to Sunday's games, it was a result that lifted them to second in the table following Tottenham's late loss versus Wolves.

Arsenal's best player vs Burnley

A number of candidates could have taken this award home. Leandro Trossard, who now has six goals in all competitions this term, showed incredible bravery to score in the dying embers of the first half. He clattered into both goalkeeper and post but came away with the ultimate reward; a goal.

Further plaudits should go to Oleksandr Zinchenko who in the words of Arsenal reporter Connor Humm on Saturday, was "absolutely everywhere".

The Ukrainian has looked out of sorts at times this season, notably from a defensive point of view. His ability to switch off has seen him hooked early in games on more than one occasion by Arteta, with Takehiro Tomiyasu preferred in his stead. Such an eventuality means Zinchenko has been in and out of the team but he showed why he was such an impressive capture from City this weekend.

Indeed, he took up his usual inverted role and did so phenomenally. No player on the pitch managed more than his 117 touches of the ball.

Arsenal's worst player vs Burnley

This wasn't really an afternoon for criticism. Despite a scare courtesy of Josh Brownhill in the second half it was ultimately a comfortable outing for the Gunners.

That said, Kai Havertz was hauled off again after a questionable performance. There are slight signs of life that the German is now adapting and improving. If it wasn't for a tremendous block in the opening 45 minutes he may have scored.

That said, the former Chelsea man left the field having completed just 77% of his passes. Of those to start the game in an Arsenal shirt, only goalkeeper David Raya registered a worse success rate.

The true villain of the party, however, was Havertz's substitute. Fabio Vieira was given some time to prove himself ahead of a busy schedule after the international break but did not pass the test.

With Martin Odegaard still injured, this was the perfect time for the Portuguese talent to show he can step up when required. Step up he did not.

It was a largely nothing cameo from the 23-year-old who would be sent for an early bath after a stupid challenge that referee Michael Oliver saw fit to show a red card for. There were no complaints about the officials this time; Oliver got it spot on.

The moment was aptly summed up by the Standard's Simon Collings who gave Vieira a 3/10 match rating post-game, while writing: 'Shown a straight red card after catching Brownhill on his knee. The ball was bouncing, but it was dangerous.'

Former Gunners Perry Groves lamented the challenge as "silly" before suggesting on talkSPORT: "I think he’s having an identity crisis, he thinks he’s Patrick Vieira. Because it was a ridiculously shocking challenge."

Red Card

1

Touches

5

Pass Success

3/4 (75%)

Key Passes

0

Crosses

0

Shots

0

Duels Won

1/2

Stats via Sofascore.

Comedic words but the truth. Vieira was not on the pitch to influence games like this. Instead, he should have been in attacking areas trying to extend Arsenal's lead.

The former Porto man lasted only 24 minutes on the field, in which time he had just five touches of the ball and completed only three passes. It was a dismal afternoon and ahead of games such as Brentford, Wolves and Luton, Vieira will be kicking himself that he'll now miss three matches through suspension.

He will need to use this moment as a chance to reflect. So should Arteta, who must consider whether the attacking midfielder is someone he can trust from the bench. For now, he should forget about it.

Sarfraz Ahmed and his men are chasing an 11th successive series win, but New Zealand have a squad that has done the rounds in T20 leagues and would fancy causing an upset

The Preview by Hemant Brar30-Oct-2018Big PictureIn this day and time, it’s a surprise that a team can go seven months without playing international cricket. However, that’s the case with New Zealand, who played their last game in March-April 2018. They will end the drought with the three-match T20I series against the No. 1-ranked Pakistan in the UAE, the first of which will be held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night.It’s not as if the players have been taking it easy though. Many of them, including Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Ish Sodhi were part of various franchises during the IPL or CPL. Also, New Zealand A were involved in a three-match T20 series in Dubai where they defeated Pakistan A 2-1. Players like Glenn Phillips, Corey Anderson and Mark Chapman were part of that team.Even so, New Zealand were dealt a blow when Martin Guptill was ruled out of the limited-overs leg due to a calf strain. It came after they were already without their first-choice spinner Mitchell Santner, who was ruled out for nine months after his right knee problem worsened in March.Guptill’s absence meant Phillips was rewarded for his good form in CPL 2018 and the T20s against Pakistan A. The wicketkeeper-batsman is likely to partner Munro at the top of the order, while Williamson and Taylor will complete the top four.Sodhi is set to lead the New Zealand spin attack, and given the nature of the wickets in Abu Dhabi, he is likely to be backed by the left-arm spin of uncapped 30-year-old Ajaz Patel. Wednesday’s game can also mark Anderson’s return to international cricket, who last played for New Zealand in the 2017 Champions Trophy.Pakistan, on the other hand, seem to have mastered the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket under Sarfraz Ahmed. They will be chasing their 11th successive series win. After demolishing Australia 3-0 recently, they have once again shown what a strong bowling attack can do even in the shortest format. While there is Hasan Ali’s pace and Faheem Ashraf’s guile, the bowlers who will test the New Zealand batsmen most are spinners Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.Pakistan have always had bowling riches, but in Babar Azam, they now have a batsman around whom other power-hitters can play. Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik not only lend experience and stability to the middle order, but they are also as good as any backup spinners.Form guidePakistan WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand LLLWLIn the spotlightBabar Azam is currently the No. 1-ranked batsman in T20Is, and there is a good reason for that. His last five innings read: 50, 45, 68*, 51, 97*. During this period, he averages 103.66 with a strike-rate of 131.22. It was Babar, who held the innings together in the first T20I against Australia where Pakistan suffered a middle-order collapse and slipped from 130 for 3 to 133 for 8. While there are more experienced batsmen in the Pakistan squad, there is little doubt who the main threat is.Colin Munro is one of the most destructive batsmen around. The left-handed opener not only has the most T20I hundreds, but his strike-rate of 163.59 is the highest for anyone with more than 500 runs in the format. However, by his own admission, he finds it difficult to spot the ball when it is turning both ways. This means it will be a fascinating battle when he faces Shadab’s wristspin; it could well decide the series.Team newsPakistan have stuck with the same squad that whitewashed Australia earlier this month. While they may juggle between Usman Khan and Shaheen Afridi for the role of the second seamer, there are not many changes expected from the XI that played in Dubai on Friday. Fakhar Zaman remains out with knee pain.Pakistan (possible): 1 Babar Azam, 2 Sahibzada Farhan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Usman Khan/ Shaheen AfridiWith Phillips set to open the batting, he will also keep wicket. This means Tim Seifert will have to miss out. Seth Rance may also have to wait for a chance with Anderson and Colin de Grandhomme occupying the allrounders’ spot.New Zealand (possible): 1 Colin Munro, 2 Glenn Phillips (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 Adam Milne/ Lockie FergusonPitch and conditionsAbu Dhabi’s is not on a typical T20 wicket where batsman could hit through the line and on the up, as Australia found out when they were bowled out for 89. The average first-innings score here is 147. The forecast for Wednesday is partly cloudy with the temperature hovering around 27 degree Celsius. With the games being held at night, dew is also expected to play a role.Stats and trivia Pakistan have now bowled out their opposition 30 times in T20Is. New Zealand and Australia are the next with 19 each. Pakistan have won 26 out of 30 matches under Sarfraz Ahmed. Their four losses came against West Indies, World XI, New Zealand and Australia. Colin Munro (567) and Glenn Phillips (457) were the top two run-scorers in CPL 2018.QuotesIt [seven months] is an unusually long time between internationals but I guess that makes the guys very excited to get back involved. It’s a great country to come to and play cricket against Pakistan, who are one of the strongest teams in world cricket at the moment.

Tottenham Hotspur could have an "interesting bidding war" on the horizon for 2024 with manager Ange Postecoglou apparently "very keen" on one player.

Spurs identify upgrades for Postecoglou

Injuries to star players Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have seriously exposed Spurs' lack of depth in their squad, and while they'll both be back by January, it's perhaps imperative for the club to consider their options moving forward.

Maddison and van de Ven's absences, not to mention suspensions for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, have left Spurs very short – resulting in back-to-back Premier League defeats prior to the international break.

“Micky obviously with that hamstring injury, we knew it was fairly significant, probably a couple of months for him looking into the new year," said Postecoglou on van de Ven and Maddison.

“[Maddison] is a lot worse than we thought. He came off with an ankle injury and the next day wasn’t great, so we sent him for a scan. Again probably into the new year for him."

These glaring holes in Postecoglou's squad are there for all to see, with reports suggesting Tottenham want a left-sided centre-back as an alternative to van de Ven moving forward.

The likes of Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly and Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah have both been linked with Spurs in the last few days, while it is also believed that the Lilywhites are eyeing up new attackers.

Genoa midfielder Albert Gudmundsson and Al-Ittihad winger Jota are reported candidates to for the left-wing role, as Postecoglou is short of natural options behind Dejan Kulusevski.

Ange "very keen" on signing Jota

According to TEAMtalk, the Spurs boss is actually "very keen" on Jota, but a rule change in Saudi Arabia means he could have to wait until later in 2024 to get him.

Regardless, the report suggests an "interesting bidding war" could be on the cards next year over the 24-year-old. The former Celtic star, who Postecoglou knows well from their time at Celtic together, is also attracting interest from multiple Champions League sides.

Jota was a star at Parkhead before his move to Al-Ittihad, scoring 11 goals and assisting 11 others the Scottish Premiership alone during his final season. TEAMtalk add that he cost also be available for around £30 million, which comes as a pretty affordable fee where Tottenham are concerned.

Former Scotland international and Spurs right-back Alan Hutton commenting on the Portugual international's exceptional ability last year, calling him an "exciting" player and saying what Jota did for Celtic was nothing short of incredible.

"Jota's only 23-years-old, he's still developing," explained Hutton to Football Insider.

"He's probably only going to get better, I think he can get better. What he's done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he's not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there's a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he's stood up to that task.

“Jota's that player fans want to see. He's exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes."

At one time, Blitz’s total of 180 was in danger when de Villiers was going hell-for-leather during his 30-ball 59 in the chase

The Report by Sreshth Shah16-Nov-2018AB de Villiers goes for an unorthodox shot•Getty ImagesAn all-round effort from Mohammad Nawaz, the Pakistan allrounder, handed Cape Town Blitz victory in the inaugural Mzansi Super League match in front of their home crowd at Newlands. Against AB de Villiers’ Tshwane Spartans, Nawaz’s 37-ball 59 lifted Blitz to a competitive 180 for 4 after which he returned with a tight spell of 1 for 30 to keep Spartans’ run-scoring in check.At one time, Blitz’s total was in danger when de Villiers was going hell-for-leather during his 30-ball 59 in the chase, but a double-wicket over from medium-pacer Ferisco Adams dashed Spartans’ hopes and ensured Blitz’s comfortable 49-run victory in the end.De Villiers used the reverse sweep to particularly good effect, hitting Nawaz and left-arm spinner George Linde over point with disdain on numerous occasions. But with no other batsman – barring Rilee Rossouw’s brief resistance – giving de Villiers company, Spartans’ effort looked rather listless.Spartans’ chase had started poorly as well. Opener Gihahn Cloete’s laboured 13-ball 3 put them on the back foot early, and while Dean Elgar’s 26-ball 32 helped them recover briefly, it was the regular wickets from the Blitz bowlers that kept their run flow in check. Each of Blitz’s six bowlers was among the wickets, with Adams’ 3 for 28 leading the effort.The healthy margin of victory was down to the tight death bowling from the Blitz bowlers. Anrich Nortje bowled at 145kph regularly and delivered 15 dot balls in his 24-ball spell. That forced the batsmen to attack the other bowlers, but all they could do was hole out to the slower bowlers. Two run-outs didn’t help Spartans’ cause either as their shoulders drooped with the required run rate soaring. Eventually, it was Adams’ caught-and-bowled effort that capped off Blitz’s victory, with Spartans all out in the 20th over.Earlier, Spartans had asked Blitz to bat under grey skies and made good use of it by dismissing Blitz’s stand-in captain Dawid Malan for 5 in the second over. But as the ball got older, Nawaz and wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne found their groove, adding a 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Coming together in the 10th over, their half-centuries lifted Blitz to 164 for 4, and by the time Nawaz was dismissed, Blitz were headed towards an above-par total. Linde’s four-ball unbeaten 13 in the final over set Spartans a stiff target that was a bit too much for the visitors.The opening match of the league was watched by a sizeable crowd at Newlands. Before the game started, the two captains – Malan and de Villiers – read out a ‘Spirit of Cricket’ pledge on the very ground that was witness to the ball-tampering scandal earlier this year.

Europe's most prestigious club competition is gearing up to its final stages and the FedEx Performance Zone provides the top performers of the week

What a thrilling week of UEFA Champions League action we have had! A massive 18 goals were scored across four exciting quarter-final ties that left all eight teams still in with a chance of reaching the final four after the first-legs.

Reigning European champions Man City and the competition's most successful club, Real Madrid, played out an awesome 3-3 draw in the Spanish capital, while Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Bayern.

On Wednesday, Xavi's Barcelona secured a 3-2 win away to Paris, while Atletico de Madrid secured a narrow 2-1 win against Borussia Dortmund on home soil to give themselves a good chance of progressing to the next round.

Who were the standout performers from the latest headline clashes? With the help of the FedEx Performance Zone, GOAL takes a look at the stars of the UCL last week.

Getty ImagesRaphinha | Barcelona | 126 points

It could hardly have been a better performance for Brazilian winger Raphinha. He was easily the most threatening player as Barca ran out 3-2 winners against Paris. The ex-Leeds star opened the scoring in the first half and then, after PSG managed to turn the game around, he pulled his team level just after the hour mark.

AdvertisementGettyFederico Valverde | Real Madrid | 84 points

Uruguayan star Federico Valverde proved crucial in helping Real Madrid avoid defeat in the Spanish capital against Man City on Tuesday. A big threat throughout, he had three shots and chipped in with two tackles as Carlo Ancelotti's team fought hard against the visitors. It was Valverde who grabbed the equaliser, too, after his side had thrown away a 2-1 lead to fall behind.

Getty ImagesBernardo Silva | Man City | 80 points

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City could not have enjoyed a better start to their quarter-final first leg visit to Real Madrid. It took less than two minutes for Portugal star Bernardo Sivla to fire his team into the lead. He was an important figure throughout, too, having made two more attempts on goal and kept running at the Madrid back line in an attempt to open up more chances for his team.

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GettyVitinha | Paris | 78 points

Portuguese midfielder Vitinha is enjoying his brightest period of the 2023-24 season right now. After scoring one and setting up two against Montpellier and firing in against Marseille, he reiterated his importance once again in his team's 3-2 defeat to Barcelona. The 24-year-old was on target to give his team the lead early in the second half, though his team squandered the lead later on.

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has stressed Emily Fox's importance to the team and believes her partnership with Leah Williamson is a promising one.

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Arsenal beat Leicester 3-0 in WSLFox and Williamson play in winEidevall talks up their partnershipWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners secured a Champions League place for next season after easing past the Foxes in a 3-0 win on Sunday in the Women's Super League. There was a less familiar looking backline for Eidevall's side as Lotte Wubben-Moy was out injured, meaning Steph Catley partnered Leah Williamson – who returned from an ACL injury in February – in the heart of their defence and January signing Emily Fox and Katie McCabe were their full-backs. Now, manager Eidevall has sung the praises of USWNT star Fox and Williamson.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT JONAS EIDEVALL SAID

The Gunners manager said: "The start of a really good partnership. They're both fantastic footballers but they need obviously more time to play together and understand each other, how they want the passes and the communication to work. Today (Sunday) was one of the best examples to see the right side work, they are also both so athletic as well as good football players. There is one situation where Emily Fox is contesting a duel in the pocket, sprints back fifty metres after losing it and then finds herself in a break with the goalkeeper! It shows her ability and her athletic for us. That right side for us can be so important, with and without the ball."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

While Arsenal's WSL title hopes are very faint, with the Gunners six points behind Manchester City and three adrift of Chelsea (who have a game in hand), building for next season is important. And having a backline of Fox, Williamson, and Wubben-Moy, among others, could be a potent mix as they try to build on their Conti Cup triumph.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Arsenal's last three games of the WSL season start on Sunday away to Everton, followed by a trip to Manchester City on May 5, before rounding off their campaign at home to Brighton on May 18.

BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry has pressed for an inquiry and, if the players are found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, strong sanctions

Sidharth Monga10-Jan-2019Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, the two players issued show-cause notices over their comments on a talk show, are likely to be suspended by the BCCI, ESPNcricinfo understands. The BCCI leadership is believed to have decided on the action, with the quantum of punishment yet to be fixed.Pandya and Rahul appeared on the talk show on Sunday where their comments – Pandya’s in particular – came in for widespread criticism and raised concerns over the team culture. The BCCI issued the players a show-cause notice to which Pandya responded with an apology to the board.ALSO READ – Hardik Pandya apologises for ‘regretful’ behaviour on talk showCorrespondence on the issue accessed by ESPNcricinfo suggests that while Vinod Rai, one of the members of the Committee of Administrators, is in favour of a two-match ban, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry has pushed for a stronger penalty should the players be found guilty – under their contracts – of bringing cricket and Indian cricket into disrepute. There is even a view that the punishments for the two differ according to what each of them said on the show.”I have seen the remarks made by these two players on the show in print today,” Rai wrote on Thursday. “Very crass. No apology can cover it. I had asked Diana [Edulji] to suggest penalty because I had not seen the clip. I think we need to give both of them a two-match suspension.”Chaudhry has also suggested immediate suspension pending enquiry, but if found guilty the CoA should follow the precedent it set in the cases of Steven Smith and David Warner, who were banned from the IPL for a whole season for their involvement in ball-tampering in South Africa.Chaudhry raised concerns about the permissions taken by the players before appearing on the show, the disrepute it brought to other Indian cricketers and about how these comments leave them open to honeytraps that players are trained to avoid in ICC ACSU briefings.”As far as the quantum of the punishment is concerned if the players are found guilty as per the procedures laid down in the Rules and Regulations, keeping in view the above factors and discussions, a two-match suspension seems to be merely a stop-gap arrangement especially considering that the CoA had banned Mr. Smith and Mr. Warner for a season,” Chauhdry wrote. “The players must be immediately suspended pending a proper inquiry and must be allowed to join the team (if selected) only once they have gone through a proper sensitisation in addition to serving a ban, if imposed upon them.”In any case the entire team and support staff must go through a sensitisation process. The CEO may join them in the sensitisation as well as recommended by Ms. Veena Gowda, Advocate.”Meanwhile, Amitabh Choudhary, the BCCI’s acting secretary, said that both players should be suspended “immediately”*. Choudhary had been asked to weigh in with his opinion by Edulji, the second half of the CoA. According to Choudhary, any enquiry that be conducted would need to be done as per the BCCI constitution. “Legally, the inquiry can be conducted only in accordance with the provisions of the registered constitution and not sought to be done by an ‘independent committee’,” Choudhury said in his e-mail to the CoA.*1400GMT: The story was updated after accessing Amitabh Choudhary’s reply