Yorkshire kicked out of Twenty20 Cup: Notts to face Durham in last eight

Yorkshire are expected to appeal against the ECB' s decision to throw them out of the Twenty20 Cup for fielding an ineligible player.

The stunned White Rose county were hit with the hardest available penalty at Old Trafford yesterday by the governing body's cricket discipline committee, who ruled that the failure to register Azeem Rafiq amounted to more than just a 'clerical error'.

Once the teenage spinner, who lives in Barnsley after arriving from Pakistan in 2001, played against Notts two weeks ago, it became apparent he had not been registered and, furthermore, did not possess a British passport.

That latter revelation caused the belated cancellation of the Durham- Yorkshire quarter-final at the Riverside last Monday.

Although Durham insisted that they should be given a bye into the semifinals in light of Yorkshire's indiscretion, they will now meet re-instated Nottinghamshire in a re-arranged last-eight clash next week.

After the three-man panel at Old Trafford heard submissions from the three counties directly affected by the issue, they decreed that Yorkshire had committed a serious breach of the regulations by fielding Rafiq, who has captained England age-group teams. They also ordered the Headingley-based club to pay costs of £1,000.

A 'distraught' Darren Gough, the Yorkshire captain, said: 'I've spoken to the players and they are very disappointed. I thought we had a great case. I'll put money on Yorkshire appealing.

'I feel for Rafiq. He's a 17-year-old and as far as he's concerned, he is English. This took him by surprise as much as anyone else.'

The revelation that Yorkshire were aware early last year that Rafiq held a Pakistan passport left them to come to terms with a costly expulsion. Two more victories could have secured them a place in the $5million Champions League this autumn.

Notts, on the other hand, were last night celebrating a Twenty20 Cup lifeline. The county's chief executive, Derek Brewer, said: 'I'm very pleased with the outcome and we're looking forward to playing in a quarter-finals. The one caveat is that there is an appeals process and we will await the final decision. We are also very mindful of how other parties will be feeling.'

Durham, who may have to manage without influential South African duo Shaun Pollock and Albie Pollock, were less enthused by the prospect of fitting a crucial tie into a packed schedule.

Their chief executive David Harker said: 'Obviously this requirement to re-arrange and play a quarter-final causes us a significant competitive disadvantage if we are not able to field the same team that would have played on Monday. But we will be considering our options and looking at when that quarter-final might take place.'