A scandal had broken out in the English club cricket scene and rocked the entire cricketing landscape. Several videos of a local club cricketer have gone viral in which he is shown snapping his fingers to emulate the sound of the ball hitting the bat’s edge to gain an unfair advantage and wickets.
Local English cricket player Brian Devine was called "Clicky Ponting" after it was discovered that he had cheated on the on-field umpires by mimicking the sound of a bat nicking the ball by clicking his fingers.
Devine, a slip fielder for Saltburn Cricket Club's second XI, was shown in the widely shared video clicking his fingers to mimic the sound of an edge to deceive the umpire into believing that the wicketkeeper had been nicked. The umpire dismissed the batter when the fielders protested.
The event happened during Saltburn and Norton's second-division match last week. Saltburn is presently leading the league table after winning the game by 159 runs.
When match footage of Saltburn's prior wickets was examined after the video went viral, many saw the same trend as in the previous season, when the same fielder was observed imitating the click sounds to gain an unfair edge.
English broadcaster Piers Morgan called the cricketer the ‘biggest cheat in cricket history’.
Devine, 38, is company secretary for a livestock auction house and estate agents in the North of England and is a long-time club cricketer, Fox Sports reported.
He has played 481 matches in local English club cricket and is considered a ‘legend’ on Saltburn CC’s social media. The North Yorkshire and South Durham (NYSD) Cricket League has launched a full-scale investigation into the matter.
“The League has received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday. A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made,” the NYSD said in a statement, as quoted by The Telegraph.
Devine is expected to be suspended by the club after the cheating scandal was exposed.
