Indian Media Claim Chris Broad May Face ‘Wrath’ After Opening Up on Steven Smith’s DRS Episode
Mar 8, 2017 at 3:33 PM
International Cricket Council’s (ICC) match referee for the second Test of four-match series between India-Australia in Bengaluru, Chris Broad according to reports, told Australian media that on-field umpires were aware of the only incident when the Kangaroos skipper Steven Smith looked up at the team viewing area for the DRS consent.
The match referee Broad seemed to have crossed the line after allegedly talking to the Australia media on the on-field episode for DRS referral.
Without the official body’s consent, match referees do not discuss the matter with the media according to the rules of ICC itself.
However, the ICC is yet to comment on the episode which has unfolded on the fourth day of the Bengaluru Test as that further has been the focus of attention of all quarters in the media outlets.
Broad, while speaking to a section of media according to The Daily Telegraph, allegedly stated ‘umpires were unaware about the habit of team viewing area’ and has further expressed Smith would not face any sanction over the incident.
The reports suggested, Broad will be replaced by Richie Richardson for the final two Tests which will be held in Ranchi and Dharamsala.
Broad has also denied Virat Kohli’s statement of bringing the incident to umpires’ notice when he claimed he watched the visitors looked towards the dressing room twice during the game when he was batting.
“I saw that two times happening when I was batting out there. I pointed it out to the umpire as well and it has happened twice I have seen their players looking upstairs for confirmation and that’s why the umpire was at him,” Kohli said during the press conference.
The 27-year-old Smith termed the incident as ‘brain fade’ when he looked at the box for the DRS consent.
“I got hit on the pad and looked down to Petey (Peter Handscomb) and he said look up there, so I turned around and it was a bit of a brain fade on my behalf. I shouldn’t have done that. I was looking at our boys, so shouldn’t have done that,” said during the post-match press conference after the Bengaluru loss.
Kohli said it was not good for the game of cricket as he has also informed the match officials which he himself would never like to do. The 28-year-old aggressive skipper told one can’t cross the line in the field of cricket.
“When he (Smith) turned back, the umpires knew exactly what was going on, because we observed that, told match referee also and the umpires. I would never do something like that on the cricket field,” Kohli revealed earlier.