'Foul play' suspends TN-Delhi Ranji match
The four day Ranji Trophy super league match between Delhi and Tamil Nadu was suspended when Delhi captain Ajay Sharma, who was batting, walked off, alleging some Tamil Nadu players had tampered with the wicket.
Delhi was 183 for four in 72 overs in reply to Tamil Nadu's massive 473 in the first innings when Sharma complained, and the match was called off, 39 minutes into the third day.
Sharma (batting 55 in 120 minutes with four fours) along with Mithun Minhas (batting 17 in 64 minutes with one four) was playing to rescue his team from following on.
Ajay and Tamil Nadu captain Sharath, who was leading in the absence of the injured Robin Singh, were picking a ball to replace one that went out of shape. When Ajay walked up to the pitch at the southern end to take strike, he claimed he found four new spike marks just before the good length spot.
He brought it to the notice of the two umpires, P S Godbole and D K Kar. Match referee P R Punjabee inspected the marks and later told the press that the marks were not there before play was halted for the change of ball.
After deliberations with Tamil Nadu manager S Balaji and Delhi manager Maninder Singh Jaggi, Punjabee reported the matter to Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary J Y Lele.
A final decision on the fate of the match would be announced by the BCCI on the basis of the secretary's decision tomorrow morning, he announced. Only the final day's play remains.
The umpires said Tamil Nadu tail-end batsmen Chandramouli and S Mahesh were warned not to run on the wicket. Mahesh was also warned when he was bowling.
Robin Singh and Sharath charged that the Delhi captain was trying to wriggle out of the difficult situation his team was in. Sharma, a former member of the national squad, said that though his team was indeed in a tight spot, "anything could happen in cricket".
There was only one such incident before in the annals of the Ranji Trophy championship, when Jammu and Kashmir were once debarred when fresh marks were found on the pitch in the league phase some seasons ago.
Before play was halted for the day, Delhi lost openers Vijay Dhaiya for 27 after a 44 run stand with Akash Chopra for the first wicket. Dhaiya faced 75 balls and hit two fours. Chopra fell for 34 (175 minutes, two fours) and Akash Malhotra for 9. Mithun Minhas, who was near the controversial damaged spot when play was halted, and the captain are at the wicket.
Diwakar Vaus picked up two wickets for 43, bowling both medium pace and spin, while off-spinner Chandramouli and left-armer S Sriram bagged one wicket each.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu, resuming at the overnight score of 454 for seven, were all out for 473, with overnight hero Diwakar Vasu falling to the seventh ball of the second day's play for 148. He added just one run to his overnight score of 147. He was at the wicket for 515 minutes, faced 421 balls and hit 12 fours.
His overnight partner at the wicket, Chandramouli, fell for 14 in 42 minutes with one four when the innings ended with Robin Singh unable to bat.
National selector Sambaran Bannerjee, who had come to see the match, was a witness to the ugly drama on the pitch.
UNI
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