A Saltburn fielder was accused of clicking his fingers to get a caught-behind wicket and footage of several incidents later went viral on social media, amassing over 7.5 million views
The Saltburn player at the centre of an international cricket controversy has been suspended for the ‘foreseeable future’. The amateur cricket club have had the world’s media on their doorstep and say they are taking accusations of cheating extremely seriously.
The slip fielder was captured on footage of their Division Two clash against Norton appearing to click his fingers after the batsman, Noman Shabir, played and missed a shot. The umpire raised his finger as a result of the appeals from the bowler and fielders, leaving the right-hander exasperated.
A video uploaded on Monday was captured during the second XI’s win in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League. A cheating scandal has since erupted with the gentleman’s game brought into disrepute.
Saltburn, who enjoy a 17-point cushion at the summit of Division Two, secured victory by 159 runs.
The club has confirmed they will not fulfil their second-team fixture against Marton on Wednesday.
Their reserve side was scheduled to face Marton in a cup encounter but have now forfeited the match following the contentious revelations.
A statement published on Saltburn’s social media platforms declared: “This is issued in response to the widely publicised complaint made against a Saltburn Cricket Club member and, as a consequence, against the club more generally.
“We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness and, as a family-centric club, we are fully cooperating with the NYS League’s investigation.
“We believe that the club acted decisively as soon as the complaint and investigation were made known to us. The player at the centre of the complaint has been suspended and will not play again for the club this season or in the foreseeable future, pending the outcome of this investigation.
“Initial discussions have already taken place between club officials and the league.
“This has been a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned, and we would ask that this reality is borne in mind and that personal boundaries are respected, as we are an amateur club entirely run by volunteers.
“We will be making no further comment at this time.”
The viral clip has now racked up more than seven-and-a-half million views on X, with numerous celebrities slamming the conduct.