Zimbabwe’s cricket vice-captain Dion Ebrahim was on Sunday banned for one Test match for making ”inappropriate” remarks about the delivery action of Sri Lanka spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan.
Ebrahim’s comments, made during an interview, were reported to match referee Mike Procter in Bulawayo after the first day’s play of the second Test by the Sri Lanka management, which ”took very serious offence” to what Ebrahim had said.
Procter said in a statement, issued by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union late on Sunday, that he could have imposed a monetary fine but as he took a serious view he decided to impose a one-match ban instead.
Ebrahim told an inquiry after the incident that when he said Muralitharan’s leg break delivery to him in the first innings of the match ”was the first legal delivery he had bowled” he had meant it in jest.
The Zimbabwe batsman is three runs not out in the Zimbabwe second innings and he will take the field to be bowled to — perhaps by Muralitharan. — Sapa-AFP