English league bowler's unsporting act denies the batsman a well-deserved ton
Many have slammed the cricketer over his actions.
Conceding a game unethically by denying the batsman a chance to hit a personal milestone is something not new in cricket. But what a bowler in a second-grade Somerset Cricket League one-day game did recently to deny the batsman a well deserved century was an absolute dishonour for the gentleman’s game.
Jay Darrell, an English cricketer who did all the hard work for his team Minehead Cricket Club (CC) second XI against Purnell CC first XI by pulling his team closer to the set target of 280 from a tricky 116 for 3, found himself being left stranded at 98, thanks to an unsporting act from a bowler.
Darrell was on 98 and a strike away from scoring his first century and his team needed just two runs for victory when a Purnell bowler intentionally threw the overhead no-ball intentionally which went straight to the boundary, losing the game yet denying the young batsman a chance to relish his personal feat of scoring a ton.
The bowler then allegedly had a laugh over what he did although his own teammates, along with the players from Minehead, were livid with such a shocking display of sporting spirit. Criticism also poured in from all directions against the act on social media.
Purnell captain apologises
Minehead Cricket Club later said on Twitter that it was “not nice to see” and although it appreciated the fact that the captain of Purnell CC apologised to Darrell over the bowler’s act, it also said “some things just can’t be undone.”
Darrell himself commented on the incident later on Twitter saying: “Hell of a game today. Shame the way it ended but oh well.”
Purnell CC authorities also spoke out on the micro-blogging site, saying, “the unsavoury scenes to end the game can’t be condoned” and added that both the bowler and the club’s captain apologised over it. It also said that the matter would be dealt with internally. It also came up with a statement which defended a particular bowler whose name was doing the rounds as one who indulged in the act.
Last year, West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard was slammed on social media after he bowled a no-ball to deny the opposition batsman Evin Lewis a chance of scoring a century in a Caribbean Premier League encounter.
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