Vision of cricketer's 'suspicious' act leads to ball-tampering ban
West Indian cricketer Nicholas Pooran has been handed a four-match ban from the ICC for ball-tampering.
Pooran was asked to explain himself after footage of him appearing to scratch his thumb on the ball and seam while shining it during a one-day international against Afghanistan earlier this week.
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In addition to the four-match ban, Pooran has had five demerit points added to his record.
He will miss four matches of the West Indies’ upcoming T20 tour series.
This must be investigated by @ICC. In the video, @nicholas_47 is seen doing something suspicious. He is found scratching the ball and touching its seam during the third ODI against #AFGvWI. @ACBofficials @windiescricket #AFGvsWI #WIvAFG pic.twitter.com/5HCea917Ix
— Diva Patang (@DivaPatang) November 11, 2019
In a statement provided by the ICC, Pooran said he accepted the ban and apologised for the incident.
“I want to issue a sincere apology to my teammates, supporters and the Afghanistan team for what transpired on the field of play on Monday in Lucknow,” he said.
“I recognise that I made an extreme error in judgment and I fully accept the ICC penalty.
“I want to assure everyone that this is an isolated incident and it will not be repeated. I promise to learn from this and come back stronger and wiser.”
Teen prodigy sizzles in Sheffield Shield debut
A phenomenal Sheffield Shield debut from Victorian teenager Jake Fraser-McGurk has made the cricket world sit up and take notice.
At 17, Fraser-McGurk is the third-youngest player in Victoria’s Shield history but against Queensland on Wednesday, he proved that age was no barrier.
Taking on the Bulls attack by the scruff of the neck at the MCG, the youngster immediately showed why the Bushrangers were so keen on fast-tracking him into the senior set up.
Fraser-McGurk scored 51 on debut, sharing in a 104-run stand with Handscomb that gave Victoria a handy lead.
The teenager faced 91 balls, hitting three boundaries and a six, before he edged Steketee to Charlie Hemphrey at first slip with a rare false shot.
The young batsman’s glorious technique even drew comparisons with one of Australia's greatest ever batsmen, Ricky Ponting, with fans hailing the incredible debut on social media.
