BPL 2022 | Ravi Bopara escapes ban but cops hefty fine over ball tampering saga

Former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara’s ball tampering saga came to an end after copping a blow of 75 per cent of his match fee and adding three demerit points to his name.

The sentence which was earlier thought to be a three-match ban was brought down by the Bangladesh Premier League technical committee under Article 8.2.3.4 which states that the authorities have the power to increase or decrease any sanctions imposed on a particular player.

The saga started during the ninth over of  Sylhet Sunrisers game against Khulna Tigers where Bopara was spotted by the umpires fiddling with the ball. While it looked like Bopara was trying to get a strong knuckle ball grip, the on field umpires thought it best to replace the white ball and penalise Sylhet by 5 runs for changing the conditions of the ball.

Bopara however, came out in the press conference later that day and detailed the entire incident. According to the right hander, he was trying to get a good grip on a wet ball. He further stated that it was unfortunate to have copped a blow and termed it as a mistake.

“I think there was a mistake there. It is disappointing but this is life,” Bopara concluded.