Mike Denness incident (2001)
During India's 2001 tour of South Africa, International Cricket Council match referee Mike Denness fined as many as six Indian players, including Sachin Tendulkar, for excessive appealing during the second Test in Port Elizabeth. Denness also fined India's captain, Sourav Ganguly, for not controlling his team and Virender Sehwag was banned one match for dissent.
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Tendulkar was found guilty of ball tampering and handed down a suspended one-match sentence and fined 75 per cent of his match-fee. Television cameras showed Tendulkar cleaning the seam of the ball and Denness said that by not informing the umpires while cleaning the ball the master batsman had indeed breached the Code of Conduct and thus brought the game into disrepute.
The incident escalated to include allegations of racism and led to Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third Test after South Africa supported India's stand. After a thorough investigation, the ICC revoked the official status of the match and the ban on Tendulkar was lifted.
Celebrating Sachin
Photographs: Getty Images
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