Newly appointed Sylhet Sunrisers skipper Ravi Bopara came under fire after he was caught trying to alter the conditions of the ball during the Bangladesh Premier League game against Khulna Tigers. As a result, Sunrisers were penalised, and the opposition were awarded five extra runs.
Ahead of the contest against Khulna Tigers, Sylhet Sunrisers surprised everyone by announcing that English all-rounder Bopara had been appointed as the new captain of the team.
What should have been a memorable occasion for Bopara soon turned into a disgusting episode. In the ninth over of the match, the skipper took the ball and arrived to bowl his first over in the contest. The Englishman was seen running his fingers over the seam of the ball in that very over itself.
The TV broadcasters immediately replayed the entire incident caught on camera to the on-field umpires Mahfuzur Rahman and Prageeth Rambukwella, following which they decided to take custody of the ball and examine for themselves.
While assessing the condition of the seam, the umpires sent back wicketkeeper Amanul Haque who tried to hold a dialogue with them. Ravi Bopara also came forward to speak with the umpires, but without listening to him, the custodians ordered the fourth official to bring a new set of replacement balls. The umpires decided to go ahead with a new ball and docked five runs from Sylhet Sunrisers as a penalty.
“If it is possible to identify the player(s) responsible for changing the condition of the ball, the umpires shall… change the ball forthwith. Additionally, the bowler’s end umpire shall award 5 penalty runs to the opposing side.”
clause 41.3.5 of the playing conditions says.
The law also states that the umpires shall then report the matter to the referee “who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the player(s) concerned“.
This is the first time a team in the Bangladesh Premier League has been found ball-tempering during the match or after. Prior to the fixture, Bopara had replaced Mosaddek Hossain as captain. He continued to bowl in the match after the incident had taken place.
