Ajay Jadeja, a former India player serving a five-year ban for match fixing, recently played two matches for Hollywood Cricket Club in the U.S. and could now face further punishment.

Jadeja, currently appealing the ban, played Aug. 19 against International PIA and again Sept. 15 against Cosmos in the Southern California Cricket Association league. Hollywood, founded by British actors in the 1930s and now seventh in the division, won both matches against the top two clubs.

His action snubbed a ruling from the International Cricket Council, which governs the sport worldwide and endorsed the ban originally imposed in December by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

International PIA protested after its match, prompting the SCCA to seek clarification from the ICC. The U.S.A. Cricket Association "comes under our auspices and his ban is therefore extended to official cricket in the States," ICC spokesman Mark Harrison said. Jadeja is the first player to flout an ICC ban, he added.

The SCCA should deal with the Hollywood club for fielding an ineligible player, Harrison said, while Jadeja could now face an extension to his ban. The ICC has approached the BCCI regarding the issue. The two bodies would have to agree on any further punishment.

Jadeja was excluded from the sport after an Indian police investigation last year into corruption in cricket, which followed the life ban of former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje. Ex-India captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma were barred for life, while Manoj Prabhakar was banned for five years.

Jadeja, a former India captain, appeared in 196 one-day internationals and 15 Tests.

"We disputed his status as he wasn't supposed to be playing over here," said Bobby Hussain, a player for International. "We got an e-mail that he couldn't participate in any kind of cricket."

Jadeja, who played along with former India teammate Nikhil Chopra, had been on vacation in New York and Los Angeles, according to SCCA vice-president Ranjit Vishwanath.

"We advised Hollywood not to play him (against Cosmos) until we received clarification from the ICC; we made that very clear," Vishwanath said. "If rules have been violated, we will take action against the team."

Hollywood president Mark Azeez denied receiving such instructions. The matter is currently with the SCCA's code of conduct committee.

Jadeja, famed in India for his smile and a slew of television commercials, was unavailable for comment. He's delayed in New York following last week's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Even though he scored a half-century, took three wickets and withstood a barrage of abuse in the second California match, Jadeja's inclusion hasn't upset Cosmos.

"I have no dispute because he drew such a big crowd, and in our league nobody usually comes to watch," said Krish Patel, president of Cosmos. "We want people to be interested in cricket and on that particular day Ajay showed how entertaining the game can be."

With past members including Errol Flynn and Cary Grant, the Hollywood club may soon be about to renew its ties to cinema - this time with India's "Bollywood." Jadeja's next role as entertainer will come as co-star in his debut Hindi film this year.

© Bloomberg