New Delhi: Mohammad Azharuddin is planning legal action against Wisden for breach of contract after being asked not to attend the presentation ceremony for the Cricketer- of-the-Century-award. Azhar, who was one of the 16 nominees for the award, alleged that without assigning any reason, Wisden had told him at the last minute that he was not required at the awards ceremony in London on July 23. "They called me up to say that they had made a mistake and that they would not be sending me the air tickets. There was no explanation for this decision," the former India captain, who has been sentenced to a life ban by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for his alleged involvement in match-fixing activities, said in an interview in the latest issue of 'Outlook', which hits the stands on Saturday. Azhar said the contract he had signed with Wisden stipulated that he would be invited to the presentation ceremony and would have to give some media interviews.After withdrawing the invitation, Wisden did not as much as apologise, Azhar alleged. "You can't treat a person so shabbily. Why did Wisden start the process in the first place? If they had problems then why go through the motions at all? "This is humiliating to say the least. And finally, Wisden did not have the courtesy to inform me or write to me why they did not invite me," he said while hinting that some among the other nominees might have worked against him. "It was disgusting. That is all I will say. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth." Azhar was the only living nominee missing at the function though he was reportedly in London on that day. Extras:
Thatsspecial: English Summer

Tags: cricket, new delhi, mohammad azharuddin, wisden, cricketer-of-the-century-award, london, bcci, match-fixing, india.