ICC urges calm after England contradict Dhoni

SOUTHAMPTON: Not long after India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Saturday that he had been hurt by the match referee's decision to fine Ravindra Jadeja, came an unconfirmed report that two England players -- Ben Stokes and Matt Prior -- had suggested to David Boon during the hearing that Indian all-rounder had turned threateningly towards James Anderson and the England fast bowler had acted in self-defence.
According to the report, which has not been officially denied, Prior's contention was that Jadeja had turned towards Anderson with a raised bat, while Stokes suggested Jadeja had pushed Anderson first.
This contradicts Dhoni's claim at the match-eve press conference that Jadeja had neither uttered a word nor reacted aggressively on being pushed and had his bat in his armpit till he returned to the dressing room.
Given the fact that Boon refused to take cognizance of any physical contact between the two players, it is clear that in the absence of any video footage of the incident, he did not pay heed to the testimonies of rival parties.
The straight-talking Dhoni, who is himself one of the key witnesses to the spat that took place during the lunch break on Day 2 of the first Test match at Trent Bridge, maintains that Jadeja had been wronged not only by his aggressor (Anderson) but also the Match Referee.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council on Sunday sought to douse the flames of the ongoing conflict by urging all parties to respect the ongoing judicial process.
"England captain Alastair Cook and, more recently, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have made public comments relating to the alleged incident that took place during the first Test at Trent Bridge, the latter of which is critical of and undermines the ICC disciplinary process," ICC chief executive David Richardson said in a statement.
The world body also stood by Boon's verdict, saying, "The ICC would also like to reiterate its full support of the process followed and respect for the decision made by David Boon.
"We are satisfied that Mr. Boon carefully and comprehensively considered the evidence and submissions presented to him at the hearing, which included conflicting evidence from both sides, prior to making his decision."