CATEGORY:SPORTS (CRICKET)
-----------------------------
Thursday October 19, 2006


WEST INDIES hard-hitting left handed batsman, Chris Gayle, was charged 30 percent of his match fee for his on-field behavior in Mumbai on Wednesday, during West Indies ODI cricket match against Australia. West Indies had a sensational 10-run victory over the Aussies.

Chris Gayle, who is normally a very ‘cool customer’ was uncharacteristically animated during the Aussies inning at the batting crease. Gayle was visibly annoyed and at one time, when Australian batsman Michael Clark was at the crease, he hurled a ball back at the stumps but it went over the head of Windies wicket-keeper, Carlton Baugh and into the boundary for four overthrows.

Gayle’s anger emanated from an alleged incident on the field when he claimed that Michael Clarke called him a “second-class citizen.” Clark, however, appeared to be visibly calm and seemed not to be paying attention to Gayle’s antics on the field.

After a hearing at Mumbai to deal with the incident, Chris Gayle was found guilty of failing to conduct play within the spirit of the game. Michael Clark was found not guilty of the same offence.

Clark vehemently denied making those comments to Gayle and claimed that none of his team-mates did so. He claimed that he did not know why Chris Gayle was so ‘fired-up’ like that.

In commenting on the incident, ICC match referee, Mike Procter, stated that while he expects that the game should be played with enthusiasm and passion, there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not, and in his opinion, Chris Gayle crossed that line.

For more information, visit
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/iccct2006/
content/current/story/263739.html