Plunket Shield 2023: New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls faces ball-tampering charges while playing in Canterbury vs Auckland game

In a major development for New Zealand Cricket (NZC), the 31-year-old, Henry Nicholls, has been accused of breaking NZC's code of conduct after the match officials reported him for ball tampering. The incident occurred in a domestic first-class game when Canterbury took on Auckland.

The clip of the moment has been doing the rounds all over social media. During a game of the Plunket Shield, Nicholls was captured rubbing the ball against a helmet, which led him to get accused of ball tampering violations on the field. Notably, the incident happened during the third day of the game between Canterbury and Auckland.

"Nicholls has been reported for allegedly breaching Rule 3.1, article 1.15 of the Code during Day 3 of the Plunket Shield match between Canterbury and Auckland at Hagley Oval," New Zealand Cricket said in a statement. 

The board also stated that the allegation was referred to a first-class cricket commissioner. The date for the hearing is yet to be decided. Besides, Nicholls was all set to tour Bangladesh with the Black Caps’ Test squad in December 2023. As a result, given the present circumstances,  a hearing over the ball-tampering could hinder Nicholls’ travels for the tour.

Canterbury register first win of Plunket Shield season

Speaking of the game between Canterbury and Auckland, both sides faced each other in the 7th match of the Plunket Shield, at the Hagley Oval, in Christchurch, which began on November 6. 

After winning the toss, Auckland decided to bat first and posted 217 runs on the board in their first innings. Michael Rae was the highest wicket-taker for Canterbury, with three wickets to his name. Henry Nicholls was the star of the show for Canterbury in the first innings. Trailing by 217 runs, Nicholls scored 120 runs in 214 deliveries and helped his side gain a considerable lead, posting 413 runs in response.

Furthermore, after Auckland were bundled out for 256 runs in the second innings, Canterbury found themselves with a target of 60 runs to chase down. Nicholls went unbeaten at a score of 30 runs during the run chase, as Canterbury recorded their first win of the Plunket Shield season by eight wickets.