Police probe into poor quality Pak. made balls

LONDON, APRIL 30 Lord's, the Mecca of cricket, could suffer the indignity of a police inquiry following allegations that its official shop was selling cricket balls stamped ``made in England'' though they are manufactured in Pakistan, media reports here said.

Police has been asked to go into the issue by a member of the Maryleborne Cricket Club that owns Lord's following complaints that the balls sold as ``grade I'' were of ``shoddy quality'' and were manufactured abroad. Any police inquiry will centre on a range of souvenir balls bearing the word ``Marylebone'' or the names of legendary players like (W. G.) ``grace'' and ``plum'' (Sir Pelham Warner), the ``Sunday Telegraph'' reported today. The balls, priced as high as 29 pounds (approx. Rs.2,143) are purchased by thousands of fans every year. They are stamped in gold lettering as ``the official Lord's ball conforming to MCC regulations.'' The inquiry has left the MCC in a dilemma. Colmar Lewis, the former head of finance who took voluntary retirement last year after less than a year in his post, had ordered and taken supply of 10,000 of the balls, amounting to 10 years' supply. An MCC spokesman, however, told the newspaper he had no knowledge of any police inquiry.

The Telegraph said action was taken following a complaint from a member who suspected the balls were not authentic. Three MCC members sent smaples to two of England's ball manufacturers for analysis and were told they were of ``extremely variable and dubious quality''.

- PTI .

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : S. African players face life ban under new
           contract
Next     : ICC's amnesty awaits Cronje?