‘Cheat’ row escalates

– Australia’s and India’s cricket boards sprang to the defence of their respective captains yesterday amid a spiralling war of words that soured the aftermath of the dramatic second Test.

India’s 75-run victory on Tuesday in Bangalore, after Australia crashed to 112 all out, has left the four-match series between the world’s top two sides tantalisingly poised at 1-1.

But yesterday’s headlines were dominated by Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s accusation that Steve Smith (above) abused the decision review system, after he was seen looking to the Australian dressing-room while considering appealing against his dismissal.

The rules forbid players to consult with anyone off the pitch about whether to seek a review from the umpires, particularly as support staff have access to television replays in the dressing-room.

At the post-match press conference, Smith put it down to a oneoff “brain-fade”.

But an angry Kohli said that rather than being an isolated incident, “it’s been happening for the last three days”.

Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said any questioning of Smith’s integrity was “outrageous”.

Amid a clamour among former Indian players for Smith to be sanctioned, the Indian board said it had raised his behaviour with the International Cricket Council (ICC) while launching its own defence of Kohli.

But late yesterday, the ICC released a statement confirming that ‘‘no charges have been laid against any player under the ICC Code of Conduct following the second Test’’. – AFP