Southampton:
England’s pace spearhead James Anderson and Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were today found not guilty of breaching ICC Code of Conduct after a marathon six-hour hearing, putting an end to the suspense over their participation for the remaining part of the Test series.
The hearing, conducted by Judicial Commissioner Gordon Lewis took place via video-conference, and verdict came as a huge relief for Anderson, who faced the prospect of a two-Test ban if he had been found guilty of a Level 3 offence.
Anderson was accused of pushing and abusing Jadeja during the second day of the first Test at Trent Bridge on July 10. England had also pressed for a Level 2 charge against Jadeja as a counter move.
“His Honor Gordon Lewis AM, the Judicial Commissioner, has found both England’s James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja of India not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct,” ICC said in a statement.
“The Judicial Commissioner reached his decisions following a six-hour hearing, which took place via video-conference. Witnesses, including some Indian and English players, provided evidence and were cross-examined by the respective legal counsels,” the statement added.
The ECB and Anderson were represented in the hearings by Nick De Marco while Adam Lewis QC represented Jadeja. The hearings were also attended by the two team managers, the ECB’s Paul Downton, the BCCI’s Sundar Raman and MV Sridhar, the ICC’s General Manager (Cricket), Geoff Allardice, and the ICC’s Ethics and Regulatory lawyer, Sally Clark.
