CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has cleared R Ashwin of ball tampering allegations made against him and Dindigul Dragons, the team he captains, by Siechem Madurai Panthers. They held that there was no evidence to support the allegations made by the latter.
They have also said that an independent inquiry will be conducted should the franchise submit a formal request with supporting material evidence.
On June 15, the Panthers had written a mail to TNPL CEO Prasanna Kannan alleging that Ashwin and the Dindgul team tampered with the ball during the clash between two teams on June 14. In their complaint, they had alleged that Dindigul used towels treated with chemicals to wipe the ball during the contest which had a delayed start due to rain. Dindigul beat Madurai by nine wickets in the match.
"Despite repeated warnings to the umpires before the match, the Dindigul Dragons team blatantly tampered with the ball, using towels that seemed to have been treated with chemicals. The ball's behaviour was alarming, behaving like a hard stone and producing a metallic sound when hit by the batters," the email sent by Madurai team COO S Mahesh, in possession with this daily, read.
Prasanna, in his response, asked the franchise to provide proof of the same as the towels in question are the same for all teams. He also mentioned that the match officials maintain strict oversight on ball condition and that no concern was raised during the contest by any official or team representative. "The allegations appear to be post-facto and speculative in nature and based solely on internal team communication without supporting evidence," he wrote.
On Monday, the TNCA released a statement refuting the allegations before asking Madurai to produce evidence. "Should the franchise possess credible and verifiable evidence, they may submit a formal request for an Independent Commission of Enquiry by 3 PM on 17th June, along with supporting material (video, photographic, or testimonial)," Prasanna said in a statement. He also cautioned the franchise for baseless and defamatory allegation which may lead to disciplinary action under the TNCA Code of Conduct and Operational Rules.