Australian captain Ricky Ponting denies smashing LCD intentionally, says it was an ‘accident’
The Australian captain Ricky Ponting - who was reprimanded for breaching International Cricket Council’s code of conduct – said on Thursday that he did not damage the LCD in the Australian dressing room during the World Cup opener against
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 deliberately and termed the incident an ‘accident’.
The 37-year-old Tasmanian had accepted the Level one charge and the reprimand from Match Referee Roshan Mahanama, but stressed that he did not ‘smash’ the television set intentionally.
“I don't know where the stories have come from,” said the Aussie skipper. “I accept what ICC has come up with so far about reprimand. I just wanted to clarify that television set was not hit by me with my cricket bat”, he clarified.
Ponting was apparently upset as he left the field after being run out by Chris Mpofu at 28. He reportedly stormed into the dressing room and smashed the LCD in a fit of rage.
The Australian camp insisted that the damage to the LCD was accidental and the player immediately reported it, but the Gujarat Cricket Association still lodged a complaint with the ICC through BCCI.
Ponting claims that his protectors bounced off his bag and struck the TV causing a small damage to the LCD placed in the team’s dressing room.
“I reported the matter straightaway to the team manager,” he told the media reporters at Jamtha today. “They replaced the TV set immediately,” he revealed.
Ponting agreed with the Cricket http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 statement that some of the things reported about the incident were mere exaggeration of what had actually happened in the dressing room on Monday.
Ponting, however, did acknowledge that even though it was an ‘accident’, it should not have happened especially in the very first match of the esteemed tournament.
“Dressing room is a sacred place and there is always a line which one shouldn't cross. It was accidental and no malice was involved,” he said in an apologetic tone.
The Australian skipper has been found to have breached clause 2.1.2 of the ICC code of conduct which relates to ‘abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match’.
He faces the possibility of losing 50% of his match fee.
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