Victorian Premier Cricket paceman hit with long ban over ball-tampering report
A Casey South Melbourne fast bowler and ex-Pakistan Super League player has been hit with a five-match ban over ball-tampering allegations in Victorian Premier Cricket.
The Casey South Melbourne fast bowler and former Pakistan Super League player suspended for five matches over ball-tampering allegations in Victorian Premier Cricket is strenuously denying any wrongdoing.
Muhammad Irfan Jnr, 30, was last night found guilty by the Cricket Victoria tribunal of a charge of altering the condition of the ball.
He pleaded not guilty and is maintaining his innocence.
Irfan Jnr was alleged to have scraped the ball across a concrete gutter on the boundary in the first hour of play on the second day of the match between the Swans and Melbourne at Casey Fields last Saturday.
Premier officials laid the charge after receiving an “incident report’’ from the two umpires.
He faced a Level 3 offence and received the maximum penalty of five matches.
But Irfan Jnr said this morning that he had done nothing wrong and was surprised and disappointed at the accusation he had scraped the ball along the concrete.
He said he was an experienced cricketer and had never been suspended.
“It was done not by me,’’ he said.
“If it was done by me, I definitely would apologise in front of everyone.
“I’ve never done anything like in my life or my whole career at all, in NSW, here, anywhere.’’
The ball was 17 overs old and Irfan Jnr said it made sense to deliberately rough up such a new ball.
“I’m a professional cricketer. I played first-class cricket and Pakistan Super League. I am not that dumb to scratch a new ball,’’ he said.
“The mark on the ball did look really bad, which I am not going to deny. But it was not done by me. It’s not about suspension or reputation. That’s a really bad thing.’’
The ball was changed at the end of the over.
Irfan Jnr said if its condition was so bad the umpires should have changed it immediately. He also said a red line on the concrete – consistent with a ball being scraped on it – could have already been there.
The Swans have 24 hours to appeal the decision.
But Irfan Jnr said the club had told it had no evidence to introduce in another hearing.
He said he would have to accept the suspension.
“I will come back. I’m not that kind of person who would run away like thieves, because I didn’t do this. I will spend my time, whatever they put it at, I will work hard and I will come back strongly. It is what it is,’’ he said.
Irfan Jnr joined the Swans this season on a two-year deal, transferring from Sydney Premier club Western Suburbs.
The right-armer is a Pakistan A representative, playing against touring New Zealand A and England Lions teams late in 2018.
He was a leading performer for Western Suburbs in the past four seasons, jagging 172 wickets at 17.90.
The Will Pucovski-coached Melbourne won the match, hitting 7-346 in reply to Casey South Melbioyurne’s the home team’s 306.
Originally published as Victorian Premier Cricket paceman hit with long ban over ball-tampering report
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