English County club Sussex has suspended it’s player Mitch Claydon, Australian pacer after he was allegedly found applying sanitizer on the ball. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has set an investigation for the same but for now, he would not be allowed to play for the club.
Sussex, on their official website, informed that ECB has opened a case against Mitch Claydon for a match between his team Sussex and Middlesex last month. Tellingly, he has taken three wickets in that match.
Australia’s Mitch Claydon Suspended For Allegedly Using Hand Sanitizer On The Ball
“Mitch Claydon is suspended pending the outcome of an ECB allegation of placing hand sanitiser on the ball in our match against Middlesex. There will be no further comment at this stage,” said Sussex on their website.
After the suspension, Mitch Claydon would not be allowed to join the Sussex squad for their next Bob Willis Trophy match against Surrey.
Amid the coronavirus, ICC has banned the use of saliva to shine the ball because the natural substance is the carrier of the deadly virus. But the governing council has not allowed the use of any outer substance as the replacement of saliva. The players are strictly restricted to use the saliva on the ball since the outbreak of the virus.
Using hand sanitizer is illegal because it is considered as an outer substance. Mitch Claydon might be charged for ball-tampering and consecutively, the 37-year-old might be banned from a couple of matches.
Meanwhile, the Australian team has arrived in England to play the three-match T20I and as many ODI series. The two teams have played their first T20I match where the host England registered victory.
To curb the spread of the virus, the players are under a bio-secure environment where they will not be allowed to meet any outsider.