Randiv banned, Dilshan fined for no-ball row

Sri Lanka penalised Suraj Randiv and Tillakaratne Dilshan for indiscipline after Indian batsman Virender Sehwag was denied a century by an apparently deliberate no-ball.

By (AFP)

Published: Wed 18 Aug 2010, 8:55 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 2:19 AM

Off-spinner Randiv was suspended for one match and fined his match fees for bowling the no-ball, while Dilshan forfeited his fees after an internal inquiry revealed he may have prompted Randiv to do it.

The incident occured on Monday when Sehwag was stranded on 99 not out as India raced to a six-wicket win in a one-day tri-series match in Dambulla, which ended amid controversy over whether Sri Lanka had played in the spirit of the game.

India needed five runs to win and Sehwag just one more to complete his 13^th hundred when off-spinner Suraj Randiv began the 35^th over. His first ball went for four byes, levelling the scores.

Sehwag then smashed Randiv for a six but the delivery was declared a no-ball, meaning India had surpassed Sri Lanka’s total of 170 without any runs being added to the batsman’s score.

Television replays showed Randiv overstepped by a long way, indicating he may have deliberately bowled the no-ball to deny Sehwag a century.

‘I don’t need to see replays, it was a deliberate no-ball,’ Sehwag said after the match. ‘They did it because no team want to have a hundred scored against them.’

The incident was slammed as ‘unsporting’ and ‘against the spirit of the game’, prompting Sri Lanka Cricket to invesitigate the incident.

‘Sri Lanka Cricket is extremely proud of its team and their achievements over the years,’ the board said in a statement.

‘It is of paramount importance to maintain the discipline of the gentlemen’s game, especially with Sri Lanka being winners of the ‘ICC Spirit of the Gameâ’ award for two consecutive years.

‘As such Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a stern decision against Randiv and Dilshan for their actions, wherein Sehwag was deprived of scoring his century due to the delivery of a no-ball.’

Randiv will miss Thursday’s tri-series match against New Zealand, while Dilshan will only forfeit his match fees.

The board also warned skipper Kumar Sangakkara to ensure such incidents are not repeated ‘where disrepute will be brought to the game of cricket, affecting the spirit of the game’.