Odumbe acted irresponsibly: Match Referee

PORT ELIZABETH, OCT. 16. The Match Referee for the Standard Bank tri-series, Mr. Ahmed Ebrahim, while talking about the Maurice Odumbe incident, said, ``From the evidence I have had, I am satisfied that Mr. Odumbe had breached Clause 8 of the Code of Conduct. The evidence was overwhelming in the form of press reports, the acceptance by Mr. Odumbe that he did make certain remarks and the fact that members of the press corps sought comment from me, and finally the contents of the captain's report filed by Mr. Odumbe on the relevant umpires' correspondence.

``Mr. Odumbe accepted during the course of the hearing that he was wrong in what he did and apologised to the umpire concerned. Mr. Patil also tendered an apology on behalf of Mr. Odumbe and the team.

``I have taken these factors into account and have a very serious view of Mr. Odumbe's behaviour. He, as captain, had an additional responsibility to lead by example. He has chosen to conduct himself in a most irresponsible manner. It is also my view that the remarks made by Mr. Odumbe do not reflect the true picture on how the umpire conducted himself during the course of the relevant game. In my view the entire atmosphere during the course

of the match appeared to be one of calm and control.

``Had it not been for the relative inexperience of Mr. Odumbe, I would have suspended him for a longer period, but taking into account his condition and apology, I will exercise leniency. He and others need to be reminded that the ICC has every intention of clamping down on such behaviour. Mr. Odumbe is suspended for two one-day internationals with immediate effect.''

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