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Briedis
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TENDULKAR GIVEN SUSPENDED BAN FROM TEST CRICKET
CricInfo - 19 November 2001
Sachin Tendulkar has been found guilty of ball tampering and given a
suspended ban from Test cricket. Match referee Mike Denness found Tendulkar
guilty of "acting on the match ball" while bowling on the third day of the
Second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.
The Indian star appeared before Denness after footage of the incident had
been viewed by the former England international. Tendulkar was banned for
one Test match, though the sentence was suspended until 31 December 2001. He
was also fined 75% of his match fee.
Denness also disciplined five other Indian players. The most serious action
was taken against batsman Virender Sehwag, whose excessive appealing
attracted a fine of 75% of his match fee and a one-Test ban that will ensure
that he misses the third and final game of the current series in South
Africa.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, like Tendulkar, was banned for one Test
match, and also for two one-day internationals, for not appropriately
controlling the actions of his players. These sanctions were suspended until
the end of January 2002.
Spin bowler Harbhajan Singh, opening batsman Shiv Sunder Das and
wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta did not escape lightly either, also receiving
suspended sentences of one Test match until the end of the year and
surrendering 75% of their match fees for excessive appealing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NO ENLIGHTMENT FROM DENNESS AT FARCICAL PRESS CONFERENCE
Peter Robinson - 20 November 2001
International Cricket Council match referee Mike Denness confirmed the
punishments handed down to six Indian Test players relating to incidents in
the second Test match against South Africa in Port Elizabeth, but refused to
elaborate on his decisions at a press conference that rapidly descended into
farce at St George's Park on Tuesday.
Amid accusations of bias and conspiracy, Denness sat tight-lipped next to
United Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola in what amounted to
little more than a puppet show as angry Indian and South African journalists
sought vainly to establish exactly what Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag,
Shiv Das, Deep Dasgupta, Harbhajan Singh and Sourav Ganguly had done to
deserve their punishments.
Five of the players received suspended sentences from Denness, but Sehwag
has been banned from playing in the third Test match at SuperSport Park
starting on Friday.
Exactly why, however, remains a mystery with Denness claiming that he is not
allowed to talk to the media by ICC regulations. Which, of course, begged
the question of why he was at the press conference in the first place. There
was no answer to this.
To further raise the temperature, it was alleged at the press conference
that Indian president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, has threatened to call off the
remainder of the tour if Denness was not removed as match referee.
According to a press release issued by Majola, Denness held four separate
meetings with the Indian players on Monday relating to incidents during the
South African second innings on Sunday.
Majola apologised for the leak of the punishments on Monday night. It
emerged that Denness had specifically asked the UCB not to make an official
announcement until Tuesday morning, but at least one journalist was informed
of the disciplinary by the Indian team management on Monday night.
So reticent was Denness to say anything that at one point Indian commentator
Ravi Shastri asked what he was doing there in the first place. "We all know
what he looks like," said Shastri.
Majola said that he would talk to Denness after the press conference and try
to obtain a more coherent explanation for the sentences. Two things,
however, are abundantly clear: in the first place this matter is far from
over; secondly, despite attempts to streamline it, the match referee system
remains clumsy, inconsistent and, in this instance, incoherent.
It might even be fair to say that Denness has done far more damage to the
game than the six players he punished.
CricInfo - 19 November 2001
Sachin Tendulkar has been found guilty of ball tampering and given a
suspended ban from Test cricket. Match referee Mike Denness found Tendulkar
guilty of "acting on the match ball" while bowling on the third day of the
Second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.
The Indian star appeared before Denness after footage of the incident had
been viewed by the former England international. Tendulkar was banned for
one Test match, though the sentence was suspended until 31 December 2001. He
was also fined 75% of his match fee.
Denness also disciplined five other Indian players. The most serious action
was taken against batsman Virender Sehwag, whose excessive appealing
attracted a fine of 75% of his match fee and a one-Test ban that will ensure
that he misses the third and final game of the current series in South
Africa.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, like Tendulkar, was banned for one Test
match, and also for two one-day internationals, for not appropriately
controlling the actions of his players. These sanctions were suspended until
the end of January 2002.
Spin bowler Harbhajan Singh, opening batsman Shiv Sunder Das and
wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta did not escape lightly either, also receiving
suspended sentences of one Test match until the end of the year and
surrendering 75% of their match fees for excessive appealing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NO ENLIGHTMENT FROM DENNESS AT FARCICAL PRESS CONFERENCE
Peter Robinson - 20 November 2001
International Cricket Council match referee Mike Denness confirmed the
punishments handed down to six Indian Test players relating to incidents in
the second Test match against South Africa in Port Elizabeth, but refused to
elaborate on his decisions at a press conference that rapidly descended into
farce at St George's Park on Tuesday.
Amid accusations of bias and conspiracy, Denness sat tight-lipped next to
United Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola in what amounted to
little more than a puppet show as angry Indian and South African journalists
sought vainly to establish exactly what Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag,
Shiv Das, Deep Dasgupta, Harbhajan Singh and Sourav Ganguly had done to
deserve their punishments.
Five of the players received suspended sentences from Denness, but Sehwag
has been banned from playing in the third Test match at SuperSport Park
starting on Friday.
Exactly why, however, remains a mystery with Denness claiming that he is not
allowed to talk to the media by ICC regulations. Which, of course, begged
the question of why he was at the press conference in the first place. There
was no answer to this.
To further raise the temperature, it was alleged at the press conference
that Indian president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, has threatened to call off the
remainder of the tour if Denness was not removed as match referee.
According to a press release issued by Majola, Denness held four separate
meetings with the Indian players on Monday relating to incidents during the
South African second innings on Sunday.
Majola apologised for the leak of the punishments on Monday night. It
emerged that Denness had specifically asked the UCB not to make an official
announcement until Tuesday morning, but at least one journalist was informed
of the disciplinary by the Indian team management on Monday night.
So reticent was Denness to say anything that at one point Indian commentator
Ravi Shastri asked what he was doing there in the first place. "We all know
what he looks like," said Shastri.
Majola said that he would talk to Denness after the press conference and try
to obtain a more coherent explanation for the sentences. Two things,
however, are abundantly clear: in the first place this matter is far from
over; secondly, despite attempts to streamline it, the match referee system
remains clumsy, inconsistent and, in this instance, incoherent.
It might even be fair to say that Denness has done far more damage to the
game than the six players he punished.
Not getting as much heated debate on it here as in your board.... 