The BCCI’s review plea against the ‘not guilty’ verdict given to England’s James Anderson for allegedly pushing Ravindra Jadeja during the Trent Bridge Test was dismissed by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday. But the Indian cricket board is not about to let the matter go just yet.
The case is closed thanks to ICC CEO Dave Richardson deciding not to appeal using his discretion, against the findings of judicial commissioner Gordon Lewis. However, the BCCI plans to bring up the matter of the missing CCTV footage — crucial evidence without which the case had merely become one side’s word against the other — at the ICC’s all-powerful executive board meeting in Dubai on October 10-11.
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The English board and the host association at Trent Bridge had blamed malfunctioning cameras for the missing footage, but the BCCI is not buying it. “It is beyond us to believe that the cameras were not functional during the incident. How conveniently coincidental can it be that the footage is available before and after the incident, (but) not during the incident,” said a top BCCI official, obliquely suggesting a deliberate attempt at suppressing evidence.
“This is a clear breach of ICC’s anti-corruption security protocol. We don’t have control over logistics of the hosting association so we had to contend with what was provided to us, but it doesn’t absolve them of not having adhered to the protocol. The footage could have put all the theories to rest,” added the official.
{{/usCountry}}“This is a clear breach of ICC’s anti-corruption security protocol. We don’t have control over logistics of the hosting association so we had to contend with what was provided to us, but it doesn’t absolve them of not having adhered to the protocol. The footage could have put all the theories to rest,” added the official.
{{/usCountry}}Jadeja had been fined 50% of his Test fees but the penalty was also struck down by Lewis while letting off Anderson citing lack of evidence.
Another BCCI functionary who attended the hearing said: “We didn’t raise the matter in the hearing because we felt it is outside the realm of the judge to take a call on the functioning of the CCTV cameras. We would much rather highlight the matter at the right platform.”
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Even the ACSU is perplexed how the CCTV malfunctioned only during the incident. “It is mandatory to have all the cameras functional all the time for every entrance leading up to the dressing rooms.
“It is standard operating procedure to test all the cameras and circuits thrice before the start of any international match and replace equipment on finding them faulty,” said a key ACSU official well-versed with technical and logistical impediments.