Harbhajan Faces Lengthy Ban
Harhajan Singh is likely to be severly punished for slapping an opponent during an IPL match
Harbhajan Singh could today be banned for the rest of the Indian Premier League, as well as for at least five Tests or 10 one-day internationals, after allegedly slapping his Indian team-mate Sreesanth in the face following Friday's IPL game between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.
The temperamental off spinner has already been suspended temporarily from the IPL after the referee Farokh Engineer viewed fresh videos of the incident. His fate now depends on a hearing today in Delhi. A life ban is the most extreme option available to administrators.
The incident occurred when Sreesanth approached Harbhajan, Mumbai's stand-in captain in the absence of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, and said: "Hard luck, better luck next time." What happened next was not witnessed by TV viewers, but shortly afterwards Sreesanth could be seen weeping on the outfield, where he was comforted by team-mates. Condemnation in India has been quick and forceful. "We are not going to sweep things under the carpet," said Engineer.
Harbhajan has been punished under the International Cricket Council's code of conduct on five previous occasions, most recently when he was banned for three Tests for allegedly calling Australia's Andrew Symonds a "monkey" at Sydney in January. That ruling was later overturned because of a lack of evidence.
The temperamental off spinner has already been suspended temporarily from the IPL after the referee Farokh Engineer viewed fresh videos of the incident. His fate now depends on a hearing today in Delhi. A life ban is the most extreme option available to administrators.
The incident occurred when Sreesanth approached Harbhajan, Mumbai's stand-in captain in the absence of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, and said: "Hard luck, better luck next time." What happened next was not witnessed by TV viewers, but shortly afterwards Sreesanth could be seen weeping on the outfield, where he was comforted by team-mates. Condemnation in India has been quick and forceful. "We are not going to sweep things under the carpet," said Engineer.
Harbhajan has been punished under the International Cricket Council's code of conduct on five previous occasions, most recently when he was banned for three Tests for allegedly calling Australia's Andrew Symonds a "monkey" at Sydney in January. That ruling was later overturned because of a lack of evidence.
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