Mitch Claydon Banned For Ball Tampering By The ECB

Mitch Claydon, pacer of Sussex has been banned for nine matches by the ECB after he used hand sanitizer on the ball during a Bob Willis Trophy game against Middlesex in an unprecedented move.

He has enough experience in first-class cricket with 310 wickets from 112 matches. In List A too, he has picked up 138 wickets from 110 matches and 162 wickets in 149 T20 matches.

Mitch Claydon Suspended After Using Hand Sanitizer On Ball

Mitch Claydon is an Australian-born English first-class cricketer. Although he was born at New South Wales, he holds a British passport. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He currently plays for Sussex County Cricket Club.

“Mitch Claydon is suspended pending the outcome of an ECB allegation of placing hand sanitiser on the ball in our match against Middlesex,” a statement from Sussex read at the time. “There will be no further comment at this stage.”

The Australian born cricketer has acknowledged the incident and pleaded guilty for breaching ECB directives 3.3 and 3.7. The nine-match suspension for the pace bowler means he will miss the T20 Vitality blast quarter-final. Since the Sussex Sharks are out of the T20 Blast, it means that Mitch Claydon will miss the first two matches of the 2021 season as well. He has already served 6 match suspension and will miss the Vitality Blast Quarter-Final against Lancashire.

Mitch Claydon Breaches ECB Directives Which States Not To Bring Game In Dispute

The ECB Directives state that:-

“3.3 No Participant may conduct themselves in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”

“3.7 Contravention of the Bob Willis Trophy Playing Conditions 5 or 41.2 … shall be regarded as (i) unfair and improper conduct; and (ii) conduct prejudicial to the interests of cricket and likely to bring the game into disrepute.”

On 1 August 2020, on the opening day of the Bob Willis Trophy, Mitch Claydon took his 300th wicket in first-class cricket. But On 30 September 2020, the Cricket Discipline Commission Panel banned him for nine matches after he admitted to ball-tampering. The charge is related to Sussex’s Bob Willis Trophy game against Middlesex on 23 August 2020, when he put hand sanitizer on the ball.