Proteas claim umpire Steve Davis was drunk on eve of Durban Test
The South African players currently involved in a three-match Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 have made a startling revelation of spotting umpire Steve Davis drunk on the eve of the second Test in Durban. The Indians managed to level the series 1-1 by winning
the match.
According to the players, who chose to stay anonymous, the Australian umpire was regularly seen in a particular bar throughout the week. The players revealed that the umpire was also seen drunk early morning in his hotel during the first Test match at Centurion.
The revelations were made to a local newspaper.
The head of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Referees Panel, Vincent van der Bijl, confirmed that he was aware of the allegations leveled by the South African players but refused to say if any action would be taken against Davis. He said, “There are
established procedures to be followed and (any action) can only occur as soon as we receive an official complaint."
According to Bijl, Cricket http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 (CSA) has not formally made a complaint against Davis. The ICC will only consider looking into the allegations leveled by the hosts once their cricket board formally asks for some action to be taken in this regard.
Steve Davis gave a controversial decision when he adjudged South African batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887 leg-before wicket (LBW) in the second innings of the second Test at Durban. Television replays clearly showed that the ball was going over the stumps.
This wicket was crucial for the Proteas because De Villiers was given out when he was looking well set at the crease. This probably cost South Africa the match, as the hosts lost by 87 runs.
The match saw a number of poor umpiring decisions as both umpires – Steve Davis and Asad Rauf - made some bad calls. Davis was yet again seen making a mockery of the umpiring decisions, when he adjudged Mark Boucher lbw off Zaheer Khan, even though the ball
was clearly missing off-stump. The South African team is considering lodging a formal complaint against Davis for officiating a match while allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
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