Counties face nervous wait over ICL players

	Gloucestershire are trying to keep hold of Hamish Marshall for the new season © Getty Images

A number of counties are waiting anxiously for the outcome of an ECB meeting on Wednesday that will determine the fate of player registrations which have been affected by the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Five players - Wavell Hinds, Andrew Hall, Johann van der Wath, Hamish Marshall and Justin Kemp - were rejected by the ECB due to their links with the ICL. Northamptonshire have said they won't appeal against the Hall and van der Wath judgement, having signed Johann Louw as a replacement, and Derbyshire have moved on from Hinds.

However, Gloucestershire are still trying to secure the services of Hamish Marshall who they signed on the basis of his Irish passport. He has continued pre-season preparations despite the uncertainty surrounding his future. "We have been given the right to make representation to the ECB on Hamish's behalf and we've done just that," chief executive Tom Richardson told the Gloucestershire Echo. "Of course it's a difficult situation for him, but he continues to train very hard and I gather he's batting extremely well in the nets."

Kent are also trying to overturn the decision against Kemp, who is still taking part in the current ICL tournament. Graham Ford, the Kent coach, told BBC Radio Kent: "Looking at Justin's case I'm reasonably optimistic the decision will go our way - I'm really hopeful."

Meanwhile, Hampshire are hopeful that Shane Bond will be allowed to take up his deal after Mushtaq Ahmed and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were both cleared having received No Obligation Certificates from the PCB. "We have got a form of words now from the New Zealand Cricket Board which we think will fulfil the expectations of the ECB for registration," Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, told BBC Radio Solent.

Jason Gillespie's future at Glamorgan is also under the spotlight even though Cricket Australia have said he is now nothing to do with them after retiring from state cricket.

Surrey are still waiting to hear whether Saqlain Mushtaq will be cleared after his participation for the Lahore Badshahs. They also don't know if the deal with Pedro Collins will go through. Although he hasn't been involved in the ICL, Collins has had to go for an interview with the ECB ahead of his Kolpak registration. Collins turned down a place in the West Indies squad to face Sri Lanka because of his deal at The Oval.