|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 22 May 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Sports | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Two-match ban puts Akhtar out of final By Sa'adi Thawfeeq Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar added another chapter to his controversial cricket career when he was handed out a two-match one-day international suspension and docked 75 percent of his match fee for tampering with the ball. ICC match referee Gundappa Viswanath in handing out the punishment said: "Tampering with the ball is contrary to the laws and the spirit of cricket. It is an unfair attempt to gain advantage by altering the condition of the ball, apart from the traditional method of polishing or the drying of a wet ball". "I consider the offence to be of a serious nature and the penalty imposed reflects this view," said Viswanath. The ban which comes into effect with immediate effect will rule Akhtar out of Friday's Alfalah Cup tri-nation final against New Zealand at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. He will also miss the first of Pakistan's three-match one-day international series at Manchester on June 17, if he is selected for the tour. Akhtar played a key role in Pakistan qualifying for the final with a late burst of three wickets for seven runs off 11 balls as New Zealand crashed from 160-4 to 181 all out to give Pakistan a 22-run win in the final preliminary round match played on Tuesday. Akhtar was found guilty of ball-tampering during the match and was hauled before match referee Viswanath after television footage showed him trying to alter the condition of the ball. Viswanath requested TV evidence after the match, and held an hour long hearing with match umpires Daryl Harper (Australia) and Peter Manuel (Sri Lanka) as well as the Pakistan team management. "The umpires advised me to view television clippings, believing that the condition of the ball may have been changed," said Viswanath. The incident was brought to the attention of the third umpire, Gamini Silva, after TV broadcasts showed close-up shots of Akhtar apparently scratching the quarter-seam of the ball. Akhtar's offence falls into Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct and this latest ban is another incident in the 27-year-old paceman's controversy filled five-year international career. He has endured scrutiny of his bowling action since the beginning of his international career in 1997-98 and was banned for one match during Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe early this year for throwing a plastic bottle at the spectators during a match. Following the World Cup in South Africa he was dropped for the one-day tournament in Sharjah last month on disciplinary grounds and was recalled for the current Sri Lanka tour. Hailing from Rawalpindi, Akhtar was soon dubbed the 'Rawalpindi Express' for the tremendous amount of pace he generates. He is the only fast bowler to have gone over the 100 mph barrier and has been rated alongside Australia's Brett Lee as one of the fastest in the game today. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
