BCCI has defended 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the clash that broke out after the India A-Sri Lanka A match in Dambulla. His board has taken strict action against Sri Lankan player Vishan Halambage for continuous sledging.
Dambulla: BCCI has taken a tough stance regarding the on-field clash after the match between India A and Sri Lanka A in the three-nation ODI series. The board has decided not to take any action against its 15-year-old young player Vaibhav Suryavanshi. At the same time, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has taken strict action against Sri Lankan player Vishan Halambage for continuously sledging Vaibhav and becoming the cause of controversy. According to a Cricbuzz report, the incident took place after the match in Dambulla on Monday, in which India A lost in the Super Over.
After the match, there was a scuffle between Vaibhav Suryavanshi and the players of the opposing team. After this there were reports that BCCI may give show cause notice or warning to this young player. But BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia rejected all these speculations. He said, “BCCI believes that players should only concentrate on their game. We do not want their attention to be distracted by external matters.”
Sri Lankan player got severe punishment, Dickwella also fined
According to the report of Cricbuzz, the root of this entire controversy was Vishan Halambage, against whom the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has taken strict action. Halambage had continuously criticized Vaibhav in the first match held on June 9 and again in the match held on Monday. This tournament does not come under the direct purview of ICC, hence based on the report of match referee Pradeep Jayaprakash, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board itself has decided the fine and punishment on the players. Wicketkeeper and senior player of Sri Lanka A team, Niroshan Dickwella, who tried to resolve this dispute, has also been fined. However, the report says that this fine has not been imposed on him for this clash, but for some other case of breaking discipline during the match.
According to reports, Halambage had started provoking Vaibhav Suryavanshi right from the June 9 match. On Monday, when India A team came out to bat in the Super Over, this sledging went beyond limits. The Sri Lankan player took a jibe at the Indian opener and said, “Go home, this is not your IPL.” It is believed that due to this the atmosphere became heated after the match and a clash took place. Despite this thrilling win, most of the players and management in the Sri Lankan camp are unhappy due to such bad behaviour. However, it is not clear whether the Sri Lankan team has officially apologized to India or not, but BCCI has taken a stand of fully defending Vaibhav.