Sri Lanka batsman Dilruwan Perera was caught on camera looking at the dressing room before he asked for a review to overturn an leg before wicket decision by onfield umpire Nigel Llong, on Day 4 of the first Test against India in Kolkata.
Former South African batting legend Barry Richards has slammed the 'ball tampering' rule, saying "ban on use of things like bottle-tops scratching the ball" can be understood but "using the ground is a different issue."
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has been suspended for one match after his side was fined for a second minor over-rate offence within 12 months during their tri-series ODI against India at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Pakistan's Asad Rauf, who is being investigated in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, and long-serving New Zealander Billy Bowden were on Tuesday dropped from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires after an annual review of their performance.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, on Sunday, said he is in favour of batsmen taking help from dressing room in case he has doubts while going for a review.
The International Cricket Council named four World Cup winners in a 25-member match officials' team for Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29. The team includes five officials from the elite panel of ICC match referees, 12 umpires from the elite panel of ICC umpires and eight umpires from the international panel of ICC umpires.
The 53-year-old further stated that boundaries were pushed in the matter, leading to the escalation of the issue.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Saturday
India's Nitin Menon on Monday became the youngest ever to be included in the International Cricket Council's Elite Panel of Umpires for the upcoming 2020-21 season, replacing England's Nigel Llong. The 36-year-old, who has officiated in three Tests, 24 ODIs and 16 T20Is, is only the third from India to make it to the prestigious group after former captain Srinivas Venkatraghavan and Sundaram Ravi, who was axed last year.
New Zealand are awaiting clarification from the International Cricket Council regarding Nigel Llong's contentious third umpire decision in the day-night Test against Australia after the ruling had an "impact" on the game, coach Mike Hesson has said.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg on Monday
It has been learnt that BCCI has emailed the documents along with video footage of the incident to the ICC, pressing Level 2 charges under the global body's Code of Conduct.
'A focused and balanced perspective is needed in the condemnation on those involved in this, with a clear and critical consideration to the social impact and mental health of all players'
In the shadow of the ball-tampering saga that broke out on Saturday and has rocked Australian cricket since, the former cricketer reckons, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft 'will be haunted by it forever'
'It's just frustrating; I'd imagine it's frustrating for everyone.'
As if the humiliating Test series loss to India was not enough, West Indies off-spinners Marlon Samuels and Shane Shillingford have been reported for suspected illegal bowling actions during the second Test.
Cameron Bancroft may have got away with his now infamous attempt to alter the condition of the ball in the third test against South Africa at Newlands had he not panicked and stuffed the evidence down his trousers.
Meanwhile, the independent biomechanical analysis of Marlon Samuels' bowling action concluded that his standard off-break delivery was legal but his quicker deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees' level of tolerance and thus, were considered to be "illegal."
Virat Kohli does not regret his showdown with Steve Smith over DRS but the Indian skipper, on Wednesday, said he has decided to bury the hatchet and focus on the third cricket Test against Australia starting, in Ranchi, on Thursday.
Australia took the final seven wickets to dismiss New Zealand for 295 and win the first Test by 208 runs before lunch on the final day on Monday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bangalore on Saturday
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar condemned the ugly on-field altercations between Indian and Sri Lanka players on Day 4 of the third and final Test in Colombo on Friday, saying such incidents are poor advertisement for the sport.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum refused to blame third umpire Nigel Llong's controversial review decision for his team's loss in the third and final Test against Australia but said the "frustrating" ruling had a major bearing on the game.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and South Africa, in Pune.
The incident has been met with astonishment in Australia, with the protagonists -- Smith, his vice captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft -- lambasted in the media under headlines almost universally trumpeting the word "Shame".
The incident, which Australian captain Steve Smith said involved senior players hatching a plan to tamper with the ball during a game against rival South Africa, also threatens to upset current negotiations over broadcast rights.
The track for the opening Super 10 Group 2 encounter in the ICC World Twenty20 here on March 15 is likely to be a batting-friendly wicket, unlike the VCA Stadium pitch that was on offer during the third India-South Africa Test match late last year. The track at the stadium situated on the Nagpur-Wardha road that was used for the third Test between India and South Africa was given a "poor" rating by the ICC match referee, Jeff Crowe in his report. India clinched the match by 124 runs inside three days with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin leading the hosts' charge with a 11-wicket haul, supported well by the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and leggie Amit Mishra. The ICC later announced that the stadium has been given an official warning under the ICC's Pitch Monitoring process following the third Test held in November, 2015. In reaching the verdict, the ICC agreed with the "poor" rating given to the pitch by New Zealand's Crowe, the match referee for the Test played from November 25 to 27, who observed that it did not allow a fair contest between bat and the ball.
Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood pleaded guilty to a dissent charge after launching an expletive-laden tirade when a decision went against him in the second Test versus New Zealand on Tuesday.
India's bowling coach Bharat Arun, on Sunday, took a dig at the Sri Lankan cricketers, stating that home team captain Virat Kohli did not require anti-pollution mask to bat for nearly two days in the third Test in New Delhi.
Images from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played between India and Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Sunday
India nearly scripted an epic win but the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka ended in a draw after a tantalising final day's cricket.
Images from Sunday, Day 4 of the second Test between India and South Africa, in Pune.
Hillel Awaskar, an Indian-origin international umpire and former captain of Israel's cricket team, died after being hit in the neck by a ball during a league match in the coastal city of Ashdod, just two days after the tragic death of Australian player Phil Hughes in similar circumstances.
Kagiso Rabada claimed five wickets as South Africa crushed Australia by a huge margin of 177 runs, to win the first Test against Australia, on Day 5 in Perth, on Monday.
'There's so much in favour of batsmen these days. Fields are small, two new balls, powerplays, bats have got bigger than they used to be, the list can go on. You bowl a 'no ball' and it's a free hit. But I have never seen a rule change that favours the bowler.'
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League-12 final played between Mumbai and Chennai in Hyderabad on Sunday
Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne obstinately defied New Zealand's bowlers for much of the second day of the first Test at University Oval in Dunedin on Friday though the hosts still have the upper hand.
The International Cricket Council's response to the Australian ball tampering incident in the third test at Newlands is firmly under the spotlight with strong punishment expected for the culprits, South Africa coach Ottis Gibson said on Sunday.
Skipper Virat Kohli's magnificent 243 was overshadowed by unprecedented scenes of mask-wearing Sri Lankan players, who halted proceedings thrice, complaining of poor air quality, on Day 2 of the third Test, in New Delhi.
Three Sri Lanka players and India's Ishant Sharma were found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in two separate incidents during the penultimate day's play in the third Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.