By IANS,
New Delhi : Umpire Amish Saheba, who was suspended for two Indian Premier League matches for commenting on Kings XI paceman S. Sreesanth’s on-field behaviour in a newspaper, has categorically denied giving any interview to the publication.
“No person has spoken to me in person or on telephone, or taken any interview putting any question to me, as reported in the daily,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) quoted Saheba Friday as having said in his reply to a show cause notice.
A day after Mumbai Indians stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh was banned by the IPL for physically assaulting Sreesanth, Saheba, who was officiating in the controversial match between the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab April 25, was reported as saying by Mumbai Mirror that Sreesanth’s on-field conduct was questionable in that match.
This prompted BCCI to serve a two-match IPL suspension and a show cause notice to Saheba for not informing the match referee about Sresanth’s conduct and instead going to the press.
Saheba said a reporter of Ahmedabad Mirror visited his residence April 28, a day before his comments appeared in the newspaper, but for the purpose of taking his photograph.
“I was not given to understand that he wants my photograph for any of the report which ultimately came to be published in Ahmedabad Mirror as well as Mumbai Mirror. I never knew that for this purpose he is taking the photographs. There was no such type of conversation or communication,” Saheba said.