Brad Hodge and BBL commentary team embroiled in 'Integrity' issue

Captain of the Adelaide Strikers Brad Hodge has been embroiled in somewhat of an issue in recent times with the ‘Integrity’ guideline of the Big Bash League coming into question this time around. The incident also involved statistician Lawrie Colliver and commentator Mark Howard.

The incident occurred when Colliver gave a stat to Howard that stated that Ben Laughlin had dismissed Shane Watson on many an occasion. However, the fact of the matter saw Howard blurt out this stat to Hodge who was mic-ed up at the time. While the jovial banter continued for a moment, Hodge brought on Laughlin the very next over.

Although Laughlin only picked up the catch that dismissed Watson, the ethics and integrity of the BBL were once again in question following this. However, it took a herculean effort from Ish Sodhi, who picked up six wickets on the day to ensure a win for the Strikers.

A spokesperson affiliated with Cricket Australia went on to release a statement regarding the same.

“Australian cricket has a long-standing, proactive approach to sports integrity management,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said. “We educate our broadcasters at the beginning of each season in the area of Cricket Australia’s Integrity codes and policies so they fully understand the extent we take to ensure the integrity of cricket in the country.

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“We are disappointed with the comments made on the BBL broadcast last night and expressed this concern immediately to Channel 10 when it occurred. Cricket Australia’s Integrity unit is looking into the matter further to ensure the comments made during the broadcast did not jeopardize the integrity of last night’s match.”

“Network Ten apologizes to Cricket Australia for comments made during last night’s KFC Big Bash League match,” a Ten spokesperson said. “The comments were in no way intended to advise Adelaide Strikers captain Brad Hodge on game tactics or influence the outcome of the game. Network Ten ensures that all commentators are educated on Cricket Australia’s integrity codes and policies.”