England v India 2014: James Anderson's hearing to take place on August 1
David Boon, a member of the ICC match referees elite panel and a former Australian cricketer, will be in charge of the James Anderson trial, following the accusations from the Indian team of him allegedly “pushing and abusing” Ravindra Jadeja, and it will take place on August 1 (9 am), reports have confirmed.
The Indian cricket team, touring England currently, filed a complaint against the fast bowler, claiming that he had physically assaulted Jadeja during day two of the first Test, which ended in a draw at Trent Bridge: a level 3 offence, which if found guilty could lead to a ban of up to 4 Tests.
The International Cricket Counil appointed Gordon Lewis as the the judicial commissioner to oversee the initial hearing, completed today morning via teleconference, where the concerned members of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Anderson’s legal team were questioned.
Verdict to be out in 2 days of the hearing:
The visitors lead the 5-match series following their historic victory at Lord’s yesterday, where the Indian pacers, led by the Man-of-the-Match Ishant Sharma, bounced out a listless England batting unit, following some stellar roles with the bat from their batsmen Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
With the third Test match starting on July 27 at Southampton, the 31-year-old, however, is not expected to miss the next Test. While a level 3 offence can result in a 4-Test ban, it is believed that Anderson could escape with a maximum of 2 Tests. The Lancastrian will get to know the exact details of his punishment within 48 hours of the hearing.
If banned for the remainder of the series, which is the most likely outcome, England team, which is already looking inept with the captain Alastair Cook quiet evidently wilting under pressure, will miss the services of their premier fast bowler and one of the world’s leading exponents of swing bowling.