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Rediff.com  » Cricket » Nanavati submits slap row report to BCCI

Nanavati submits slap row report to BCCI

Source: PTI
May 13, 2008 13:06 IST
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BCCI-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati, who investigated the slapping row between Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth, submitted a 14-page report to the BCCI in Mumbai on Tuesday.

"I have come to submit my report to the BCCI. It's a 14-page report. Whatever conclusion I intended to reach I have reached. It's for the BCCI to take appropriate action," Nanavati said before going in to hand over his report to BCCI's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty.

Shetty will forward the report to Board president Sharad Pawar for the matter to be taken up at the three-member disciplinary committee headed by the BCCI chief and comprising present-elect Shashank Manohar and vice president Chirayu Amin.

Nanavati was given 15 days' time to complete the investigation by the BCCI and has prepared the report, which has 10 pages of annexure, detailing the results of his investigation for the Board to proceed further on the matter.

However, he was not mandated to recommend punishment for the off-spinner's offence, leaving it to the disciplinary committee to take a final decision on the issue.

Harbhajan, an integral part of the Indian team, slapped his national teammate Sreesanth after the April 25 Indian Premier League match between King's XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.

It is still not known when the disciplinary committee will meet but there was widespread speculation that the temperamental spinner could be banned for 5 Tests or 10 ODIs or for a period of one year. It was also speculated that he could be downgraded from Category B to C in the players' contract.

Shetty said the disciplinary committee would meet soon and the decision would be based on Nanavati's report.

Harbhajan, who was bought by Mukesh Ambani's franchise for a whopping Rs 3.40 crore during the landmark auction, has already been banned from the remainder of the IPL, apart from losing nearly Rs 3 crore of match fee.

Sreesanth, who was at the receiving end of Harbhajan's wrath, was also warned against aggressive on-field behaviour and told that his conduct would be taken seriously.

Mumbai Indians manager Lalchand Rajput was fined 50 per cent of the match fee for not stopping the off-spinner's attack on Sreesanth playing for Kings XI Punjab.

BCCI also slapped a showcause notice on Harbhajan for his behaviour before appointing Nanavati to probe the incident.

Harbhajan, along with Sreesanth, appeared for the disciplinary hearing before the BCCI-appointed Commissioner on Friday.

During the hearing, Nanavati spoke to Harbhajan for about an hour and 15 minutes while spending 30 minutes with Sreesanth. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah and Board's internal lawyer Akhila Koshi were also present on the occasion.

Nanavati said that in course of the investigation he also talked to Match Referee Farokh Engineer and umpires Amish Saheba and Aleem Dar.

During the hearing, Harbhajan pleaded guilty, like he had done in the April 28 hearing before Engineer, and said he made mistakes but given a chance, he would make amends.

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