Taking a tough stand on the poor on-field behaviour of players during the second
cricket Test between India and England, ICC Match Referee Ranjan
Madugalle will have a word with captains of both the sides before the third and
final Test at Oval next week.
Players from both the teams indulged in 'sledging' during the match and Madugalle
felt it was high time Michael Vaughan and Rahul Dravid stood up
and took responsibility.
"I'll have a word with the captains," Madugalle was
quoted as saying by the 'Independent'.
"The most important thing is for the captains to realise their responsibilities
and for that to cascade down to the rest of the team. People should remember
the game for the quality of cricket that is played, that is the bottom line,"
he added.
The second Test, which India went on to win by seven wickets,
was marred by England's jelly bean prank on Zaheer Khan, sledging among
players and Indian pacer S Sreesanth's beamers and his deliberate collision
with Vaughan.
Both the captains have played down the incidents, saying it was nothing more
than intensity of the players on display.
"I don't think we stepped over the line. Maybe we said
a few things too much in the first innings but it's called gamesmanship, I don't
think we've said anything untoward. We are just trying to play tough cricket
and that's what most teams do at this level," Vaughan has said.
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