Match referee Alan Hurst gave Sangakkara the benefit of doubt after watching video recording of the incident in which he had collided with McCullum, trying to ground his bat while taking a run during the washed out match in Dambulla, on Friday.
“I looked at video footage of the incident from various angles and considered the detailed evidence of the umpires. I found that video evidence that was put forward by the player provided reasonable doubt as to whether the contact was deliberate,” Hurst said.
Sangakkara was charged with a Level 2 offence, contrary to clause 2.2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players or Team Officials, which relates to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play,” the game’s world body said in a release.
Further Sanga said : “When I was finising the first run, the bowler has to be behind the wicket or aside, especially a spinner. When I ran for the first run, I knew there was two runs. That’s my duty. On my last two steps, for some reason, McCullum came out of the crease and was obstructing my way,”
“I don’t know whether it was done purposefully, I didn’t have anything to do. When on crease, there was some contact. When that happened, my head also had turned the other way. He took offence with that and complained to the umpire.
“On that incident, the three Sri Lankan umpires – Tyron Wijewardene, Ranmore Martinez and Gamini Dissanayake – told the Match Referee that I was at wrong. Not McCullum. But the Match Referee saw all visuals and decided that I was not at fault,” Sangakkara told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
“Depends on how the charge sheet was made. In a situation like that, it should be either both players or the video footage should be looked at. The bowler moves in the line of a batsman and the batsman has no way to avoid contact, if he does, he can be run out,” the Sri Lankan skipper.
“Sometime, bowlers may tend to do it to deny the batsmen being comfortable and going for the second. That’s bit of speculation. The Match Refere after viewing the footage, didn’t find anything wrong,” he said.
“The way it happened, I had no way of avoiding collision. I tried my best to make sure that the bat was away. I would have done an injury had I gone straight into him. I managed to avoid that, even at the lat moment, he was moving to my way. Match Referee saw what happened,” he added.
SOURCE : ZEECRIC
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