Canterbury batsman Henry Nicholls has been cleared of breaching Rule 3.1, article 1.15 of the Code of Conduct during Day 3 of last week’s Plunket Shield match between Canterbury and Auckland at Hagley Oval.
Rule 3.1, article 1.15 involves changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 41.3 of the Laws of Cricket.
A disciplinary hearing conducted yesterday by independent commissioners Lee Robinson and John Greenwood examined evidence and heard submissions from Nicholls, match umpires, Kim Cotton and Derek Walker, Canterbury coach Peter Fulton, Canterbury High Performance Manager Ant Sharp, and New Zealand Cricket Players Association representative, Evan Jones.
The Commissioners found that neither the actions of Nicholls nor the evidence presented met the threshold required to rule a breach of the Code under Rule 3.1 Article 1.15 (Appendix A).
“We find the Player’s actions were, in fact, unlikely to alter the condition of the ball or the shape of the ball,” they noted.
That meant any allegation of unacceptable behaviour under Rule 3.1 could not be upheld.
The charge against the Player was therefore dismissed.