Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY THE REGIONAL Carib Beer Series promised some close and exciting cricket and, so far, it hs lived up to expectations.
Although Barbados have ticked off two easy victories, after two rounds, after the battle for first innings lead between the Windward Islands and Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands, after the West Indies B's victory over Kenya and the batting exhibition by Kenya and the Leeward Islands, the action is keen.
Amid the drama, the excitement, and remembering Kenya's performance in the last World Cup a year ago, the upset by West Indies B, however, there was something disturbing - something that, if it really did happen, has never before happened in West Indies cricket.
That something ended up with a five-point penalty against Barbados during their first-round match against Guyana.
Based on the procedure to be followed when something like that occurs, based on the penalty for ball-tampering as set out in the rules governing the game, that something was ball-tampering, and in the interest of the game, in the interest West Indies cricket, the West Indies Board should check it out properly and then, if there was an infringement of the rule, do something about it.
According to reports, the umpires reported on the third afternoon of the match that there had been "a change in the surface of the ball inconsistent with normal wear and tear", and as the rules demand, they immediately changed the ball and awarded five points to the batting side.
Apart from reporting the incident to what the rule refers to as the "Governing Body responsible for the match", that is all the umpires could have done. According to the rule, it is the Governing Body "who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and team concerned".
Was the condition of the ball the result of tampering by a Barbados player or players?
Here is what Tony Howard, manager of the Barbados team, has said. "The umpires said that they noticed the condition of the ball was altered but they didn't say that the Barbados players had altered it", and according to Derrick Nicholas, chief cricket operations officer of the Board, the Board is awaiting reports from the umpires and the match referee before it can decide if the matter should be investigated further.
Howard has a point. That, however, does not mean that a Barbados player or players did not tamper with the ball. In fact, by following the procedure as set out by the rule, the umpires obviously believed that the fielding team tampered with the ball.
As Nicholas has said, however, the Board can do nothing until it has seen the reports, and that obviously is the right thing to do.
What is important, however, is that the incident is not forgotten. Ball-tampering is a serious violation of the rules of the game - of the spirit of the game, and if Barbados are guilty, further action, such as the loss of points, should be taken against them.
It is possible, however, that Barbados are not guilty, and if that is so, they should be cleared and, apart from protecting the image of West Indies cricket, that is another reason why the Board should look into what really happened at Kensington Oval on the Sunday afternoon of January 11.
