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| December 20, 2001 | Thursday | Shawwal 4, 1422 |
‘Decision against spirit of game’
BANGALORE (India), Dec 19: England batsman Michael Vaughan said Wednesday his dismissal for handling the ball in the final Test against India here was against “the spirit of the game.”
Vaughan became only the seventh Test batsman is history to be given out in such fashion when Indian umpire Avi Jayaprakash upheld a mild appeal by bowler Sarandeep Singh.
Vaughan, who made 64, mistimed a sweep and, as the ball appeared to drop between his pads, he saw wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta lurking nearby and pushed the ball away with his hands.
“The ball was not going on to the stumps, I was trying to pass it on to the fielder,” Vaughan said after the day’s play.
The Yorkshire batsman, who found his third Test half-century end abruptly, stood at the wicket for some time before walking off.
“I was bemused by the whole thing. The law says I was out, but I don’t think it was in the spirit of the game.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have done it in hindsight,” he said, “but I expected (bowler) Sharandeep to be more sporting.”
Vaughan missed a sweep against the off-spinner and, as the ball dropped in front of his pad, he put his hand on it and rolled it back.
Sharandeep, at the far end of the wicket and perhaps not sure whether the ball was threatening the wicket, made a belated appeal and the umpire had no option but to rule the batsman out.
“I thought I was only helping the fielders,” Vaughan said.
“It’s happened now. Let’s get on with the game.
“There are just seven people on the list. I certainly won’t do it again. I’m not going to be on that list again,” Vaughan said.
The Yorkshire batsman, who had put on a century stand with Mark Ramprakash, said if he faced the situation again he would kick the ball to short-leg.
Ramprakash, meanwhile, clearly did not think Vaughan had a leg to stand on.
Vaughan said: “I was just bemused by the whole situation. I was just asking him (Ramprakash) if there was any chance of my being reinstated. Obviously, he said: ‘No, get out.’”
Asked if the Indians should have apologised, Vaughan said: “An apology would not have got my wicket back.
“I spoke to my captain Nasser Hussain about the whole thing and he said he would probably have called the batsman back.”
Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly declined to comment on the incident, but said his team “always played by the rules.”—Reuters/AFP
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