Cricketer gets 2-yr ban for age fraud
Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 16
A Chandigarh cricketer has been banned for two years by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The cricketer, who is a part of the Chandigarh squad competing in the ongoing Col CK Nayudu Trophy, has been punished for committing age fraud, said a UTCA representative here today.
“Yes, one of our cricketers has been banned for committing age fraud,” confirmed the UTCA representative. However, he did not reveal the name of the player.
Part of city squad
- The cricketer is a part of the Chandigarh squad competing in the ongoing Col CK Nayudu Trophy
He was also part of the team that beat Mizoram by an innings and 254 runs on Wednesday, but but did not bat in the match
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The cricketer has played in all the five matches for Chandigarh in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy so far. He was also part of the team that beat Mizoram by an innings and 254 runs yesterday, but did not bat in the match.
According to sources, the cricketer had represented Chandigarh in the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) Nationals twice in two different age groups. On each occasion he provided a different date of birth proof.
Interestingly, for the SGFI Nationals, respective schools and the Office of District Education Officer (DEO) verify the record of each player before sending the teams to the competition. The facts are countersigned by respective principals and also by the nodal officer of the DEO.
A source said a few parents had earlier complained to the UTCA about the player.
“The cricketer played with two different date of birth proofs and it is highly unlikely that the officials were not aware of it,” said one of the complainants.
“The BCCI has set an example for other defaulters. The local authorities should also check their players’ background as all the records are easily available on online portals,” he added.
It is for the first time since the UTCA was affiliated to the BCCI that a local cricketer has been banned
For the past seven years, the BCCI has been using the Tanner Whitehouse 3 (TW3) method to determine a players’ age. However, according to experts, this test is accurate only up to the age of 16 years.
Since the UTCA got the affiliation last year and players were directly allowed to play in the age-group tournaments, it enabled them to make a direct entry into the system wherein the BCCI only verifies the birth certificate, hospital birth records and school mark sheets of the cricketers. Passport and passing certificates of Class X and XII are additional supporting documents, said the UTCA official.
