Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh [Images], whose action has been under the ICC [Images] scanner, added another chapter to the controversy by throwing the ball out of "frustration" in a county match, for which he was called.
| Also Read | | |
|
Harbhajan, playing for Surrey, was no-balled by umpire Peter Willey on the last day of the four-day match against Warwickshire at Whitgift on Saturday.After taking just one wicket all day -- on a pitch offering some turn -- Harbhajan threw a half-tracker at Michael Powell and the ball sailed over the batsman and the wicketkeeper over the boundary.
Following a consultation with his partner, the umpire signalled six no-balls.
The England [Images] and Wales Cricket Board confirmed that the bowler was no-balled for throwing adding it was "probably out of frustration and the matter would not be investigated any further."
"I can confirm that Harbhajan Singh was no-balled by Peter Willey, the square-leg umpire, for deliberately throwing the ball, an action by the bowler that was probably due to frustration," ECB's Cricket Operations Manager Alan Fordham said.
"It should be regarded as a one-off incident and there will be no investigation, either by the ECB or by anyone else."
The bowler, whose 'doosra' was reported by match referee Chris Broad during the Indo-Pak Cricket series, had arrived late at Surrey due to the controversy and was playing his first ever match for the county.
It was a frustrating day for Harbhajan, who felt that he had Warwickshire captain Nick Knight caught at second slip when the batsman had made 27, but umpire Jones ruled that the ball had deflected off Knight's boot.
With Powell and Alex Loudon sharing an unbeaten 131 for the fourth wicket, the champions secured a comfortable draw.
© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
|