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Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has been cleared to resume playing until his appeal against a three-match ban is heard, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday.

Harbhajan was suspended by ICC match referee Mike Procter for three matches on Sunday after being found guilty of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during last week’s ill-tempered second Test in Sydney.

The spinner has denied abusing Symonds and the Indian cricket board lodged an appeal on his behalf. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said a code of conduct commissioner would be appointed within the next 24 hours, though a date for Harbhajan’s appeal had not yet been set.

“The code of conduct says if an appeal decision is not given before a match then that player is available to be selected,” Speed told reporters at a media conference. “That has happened before where players have appealed and they have been available to play pending that appeal.

Speed said the appeal would involve going over the evidence presented in the original hearing in front of the match referee. “That involves some 10 players and officials who have dispersed,” Speed said.

“They will probably re-assemble before the third Test in Perth but I don’t know whether it will be able to happen before the Test match or the next test match (in Adelaide).” Speed added that Australian wrist spinner Brad Hogg had been cited for using abusive language and would appear before Procter prior to the third Test. Local media reported that Hogg had called two Indian batsmen “bastards”.

Source:Cricket News