http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Marlon-Nathaniel-Samuels-c74804’ second coming [Part 1]
Tantalisingly close to achieving their first world title since 1979, the West Indies faced off against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Twenty20 final this October. The tension at the R Premadasa was palpable, and the home crowd went wild when Simon Taufel’s finger
went up to signify the dismissal of danger-man http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BAW-Mendis-c1127. Bereft of their hard-hitter, the visitors appeared to be in danger of collapsing at a low total
Enter Marlon Samuels. Displaying remarkable composure, combined with extraordinary gusto, the 31-year-old drove the innings with a vital 78 off 56, utterly demolishing the fiery http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SL-Malinga-c2540 to guide the Windies to a defendable total, and eventually the
title. Marlon Samuels had arrived.
The right-handed batsman had come a long way to the moment when he was granted the Player of the Match award, and it hadn’t been smooth sailing for Samuels since he made his international debut in 2000 as a 19-year-old. Undeniable talent, coupled with a
certain inconsistency in his performances, and a knack for attracting trouble, led Samuels through a string of ups and downs before he managed to make a significant impact at the international level.
His unnerving confidence had led to several minor brushes with the management in the earlier days of his career, including an incident in 2002 during a tour of India, when he broke team curfew and was almost sent home. However, it was during a limited-overs
tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in early 2007 that things started to get truly murky.
The Nagpur police came out with a surprising revelation during February 2007, alleging that Samuels had been caught on tape providing match-related information, to an alleged Indian bookie by the name of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mukesh-c77912 Kochhar, on the night before the first ODI
of the four-match series, played on January 21 at Nagpur. The information exchanged between both parties had been in regards to the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760’ opening bowlers for the first one-day.
Samuels denied having passed on important information and firmly maintained his innocence, while Mr. Kochhar, when questioned, admitted that although he did bet on matches, he was not a cricket bookmaker. Both men had shared friendly relations since 2002,
and Mr. Kochhar denied that Samuels was aware of his betting activities, further adding that he had never discussed anything of the sort with the Jamaican batsman.
The conversation prior to the first ODI had been a mere exchange between friends, with Mr. Kochhar making several inquiries about the upcoming match (which he openly admitted to having done, in a candid interview with Mr. Alan Peacock, a Senior Investigator
of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption & Security Unit), and encouraging Samuels to play well. However, the situation was further made doubtful after it was revealed Mr. Kochhar had covered Samuels' hotel bill during his stay in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 (Samuels later claimed he had
been short on cash, and had intended to pay Kochhar back).
The case was examined by both the ICC and a special disciplinary committee formed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for looking into the matter, comprising Justice Adrian Saunders and including Professor http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DA-Warner-c1301 Barnett, and former
West Indies skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Richard-Benjamin-Richardson-c84890.
Meanwhile, Samuels continued to play for the West Indies – he participated in the 2007 World Cup as the parties carried out their investigations, but failed to deliver substantially. The tournament ended with Samuels running out http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brian-Charles-Lara-c48471 as the legendary
batsman played his last international innings, and understandably, the event did not endear him to the public back home.
Continued in Part 2 …
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy
Tags: