Leicestershire cry foul
Hampshire wicketkeeper Lewis Mcmanus is facing disciplinary action after a controversial stumping was picked up by county cricket’s streaming service. The incident was labelled “extremely disappointing” by Leicestershire chief executive Sean Jarvis.
Hampshire wicketkeeper Lewis Mcmanus is facing disciplinary action after county cricket’s expanded live-streaming service exposed a controversial stumping during the match against Leicestershire at Grace Road.
Leicestershire opener Hassan Azad was given out in his side’s second innings even though Mcmanus had whipped the bails off with his left hand while holding the ball in his right hand, which was raised in the air claiming a catch.
Not long ago, Mcmanus would have escaped scrutiny. But with cameras now at either end of championship fixtures, and improved live-streaming, his actions on day three of the game were spotted by Leicestershire, who put the clip on social media.
Leicestershire submitted a formal complaint to the England and Wales Cricket Board yesterday, and a disciplinary process was started by the match referee, Stuart Cummins, after play, once Hampshire had wrapped up an innings victory.
“The behaviour displayed by Hampshire was extremely disappointing and has no place in the game,” Sean Jarvis, the Leicestershire chief executive, said. “I have written to the ECB to express the concerns and disappointment at what happened.”
It is highly unusual for a player to face a disciplinary hearing for a transgression of the laws of cricket. Normally, players are punished for abusive behaviour, or offences such as ball tampering. Mcmanus looked sheepish celebrating the wicket, and James Vince, the Hampshire captain, said he would have withdrawn the appeal if he had known exactly what had happened.
“Lewis is pretty down about how it looks, but we weren’t aware there was an issue until a few overs later,” Vince said. “Had we known, we would have called him back.”
Mcmanus could face a charge under level one or two of the ECB code. A first offence at level one results in a reprimand, while level two brings three points on a player’s disciplinary record. Nine points in two years results in a suspension.