It was the no-ball of the century, and wrists have been slapped. Ensuring that the breach of the spirit of the game did not go unpunished, an interim committee of Sri Lanka Cricket has reprimanded captain Kumar Sangakkara, penalized instigator Tillakaratne Dilshan and banned perpetrator Suraj Randiv for one game for deliberating overstepping to deny Virender Sehwag a century.
It was a grey area in the laws and no rules were flouted. But the issue snowballed into a major controversy, forcing the Lankan board to take strict action on a day in which Sangakkara took on Sehwag and hinted that the powerful Indian cricket board’s strong-arm tactics had put his team in a corner.
Sehwag might have missed a ton but the evidence presented by the TV cameras and boom microphones was not so easily denied. Sri Lanka Cricket has suspended Suraj Randiv for Thursday’s game against New Zealand and his match fee from the India game has been forfeited.
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s match fee too has been forfeited, though he has not been banned. Kumar Sangakkara got away the easiest, though the board said he had been advised to ensure that repetition of such incidents did not occur where disrepute will be brought to the game of cricket.
"We know the International Cricket Council (ICC) was watching us keenly and even the MCC said its laws were valid, but we did not go into the intricacies of the law as such," SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told TOI after the board’s verdict, which came after a marathon three-hour meeting of the interim committee in Colombo.
"We were just concerned about the team not playing in the right spirit. It was a tough decision to arrive at but our job was made easier because the evidence we had asked for us was very strong. It is a must to ensure that the spirit of the game is upheld at all times by the players, no matter what the situation is. We have been twice winners of the ICC Spirit of Cricket award and the captain has been told such actions will not be tolerated at any cost," he added.
The committee had asked for footage from the broadcasters of the last over. Dilshan, who was fielding at point, was in action during the second and third balls of the 35th over, which Sehwag played toward him. After the second ball, when scores were level and Sehwag was on 99, Dilshan threw the ball to Randiv and said loudly in Sinhalese, ‘Oney nam, no ball ekak danna puluwan’ (If you want, you can bowl a no-ball). The footage shows Sehwag taking guard at that moment but Dilshan’s voice is so loud it is apparent the captain and a few others would have heard it, including Sehwag, who doesn’t understand Sinhalese.
At the post-match media interaction, the issue escalated when Sehwag said the captain and a senior player must been known about Randiv’s intentions. The SLC’s verdict seems to bear him out. Sangakkara, however, has denied playing any role in the incident and said he "strongly disapproved of coercion".
Adding an ironic twist to the whole saga is the fact that Sehwag and Dilshan are IPL teammates. Two SLC members, Ranatunga and DS De Silva, were headed to Dambulla from Colombo to further meet with the players.
The ICC, which expressed regret on Tuesday that it could not act, has commended the SLC for acting swiftly and decisively. As far as the ICC is concerned the matter is now closed, chief executive Haroon Lorgat was quoted as saying in a statement, "This is a clear sign that the notion of fair play is still very important."
ICC’s media manager James Fitzgerald told TOI that under article 2.1.8 of the Code of Conduct, action could have been taken by the world body itself, but no one had filed a complaint.
It was a grey area in the laws and no rules were flouted. But the issue snowballed into a major controversy, forcing the Lankan board to take strict action on a day in which Sangakkara took on Sehwag and hinted that the powerful Indian cricket board’s strong-arm tactics had put his team in a corner.
Sehwag might have missed a ton but the evidence presented by the TV cameras and boom microphones was not so easily denied. Sri Lanka Cricket has suspended Suraj Randiv for Thursday’s game against New Zealand and his match fee from the India game has been forfeited.
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s match fee too has been forfeited, though he has not been banned. Kumar Sangakkara got away the easiest, though the board said he had been advised to ensure that repetition of such incidents did not occur where disrepute will be brought to the game of cricket.
"We know the International Cricket Council (ICC) was watching us keenly and even the MCC said its laws were valid, but we did not go into the intricacies of the law as such," SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told TOI after the board’s verdict, which came after a marathon three-hour meeting of the interim committee in Colombo.
"We were just concerned about the team not playing in the right spirit. It was a tough decision to arrive at but our job was made easier because the evidence we had asked for us was very strong. It is a must to ensure that the spirit of the game is upheld at all times by the players, no matter what the situation is. We have been twice winners of the ICC Spirit of Cricket award and the captain has been told such actions will not be tolerated at any cost," he added.
The committee had asked for footage from the broadcasters of the last over. Dilshan, who was fielding at point, was in action during the second and third balls of the 35th over, which Sehwag played toward him. After the second ball, when scores were level and Sehwag was on 99, Dilshan threw the ball to Randiv and said loudly in Sinhalese, ‘Oney nam, no ball ekak danna puluwan’ (If you want, you can bowl a no-ball). The footage shows Sehwag taking guard at that moment but Dilshan’s voice is so loud it is apparent the captain and a few others would have heard it, including Sehwag, who doesn’t understand Sinhalese.
At the post-match media interaction, the issue escalated when Sehwag said the captain and a senior player must been known about Randiv’s intentions. The SLC’s verdict seems to bear him out. Sangakkara, however, has denied playing any role in the incident and said he "strongly disapproved of coercion".
Adding an ironic twist to the whole saga is the fact that Sehwag and Dilshan are IPL teammates. Two SLC members, Ranatunga and DS De Silva, were headed to Dambulla from Colombo to further meet with the players.
The ICC, which expressed regret on Tuesday that it could not act, has commended the SLC for acting swiftly and decisively. As far as the ICC is concerned the matter is now closed, chief executive Haroon Lorgat was quoted as saying in a statement, "This is a clear sign that the notion of fair play is still very important."
ICC’s media manager James Fitzgerald told TOI that under article 2.1.8 of the Code of Conduct, action could have been taken by the world body itself, but no one had filed a complaint.
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