Chandimal appeals against ball-tampering sanctions
Sri Lanka Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal has appealed against match referee Javagal Sreenath’s findings, which resulted in a one-Test suspension for the batsman after being found guilty of tampering with the ball. Sri Lanka are believed to be contesting the charge on the basis of inconsistency of application of the rule and not following proper procedures.
Chandimal was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second Test against West Indies. He was fined hundred percent of his match fee and banned for the third and final Test of the series starting from June 23.
On-field umpires, Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, had charged Chandimal for breaching ICC’s code of conduct by tampering with the ball. The Lankan batsman had pleaded not guilty to the charges of ball-tampering, and hence, had to appear at a hearing conducted by the match referee.
Television footage from the final session’s play on the second of the Test revealed that Chandimal had sweets in his pocket which he had eventually put in his mouth before spitting on his fingers and polishing the ball with his saliva.
Although Chandimal has admitted he had something in his mouth, he failed to recall what it exactly was, which Sreenath found unconvincing as a defense. He penalized the cricketer with the maximum punishment available for the offence.
The 28-year-old was slapped with four demerit points and could be suspended for two to four more Tests as he was also charged with “conduct contrary to the spirit of the game”, alongside head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and team manager Asanka Gurusinha, following Sri Lanka refusal to take field on day-3 after being penalized for changing the condition of the ball.
However, SLC has decided to contest the ball-tampering charge and ICC will now have to appoint a Judicial Commissioner to hear the case. According to a report in Cricbuzz, none of the people charged will be suspended from the third Test starting from Friday (June 22).
The Sri Lanka captain escaped bigger sanctions as the newly-modified punishment for the same offence is yet to be approved by the ICC. According to the revised rule, recommended by the influential committee of the ICC, ball-tampering is likely to be upgraded from a Level 2 offence to a Level 3, which will attract a maximum of six demerit points along with a ban for two to four Tests or four to eight ODIs.
Australia opener Cameron Bancroft was charged for the same offence by the ICC in March, during Australia’s Test series against South Africa. Bancroft was fined 75 percent of his match and also received three demerit points. He was then banned by Cricket Australia (CA) for nine months while the other two cricketers involved in the incident, Steve Smith and David Warner, are serving a year-long ban each.
