Dilshan, not Sanga, urged Randiv to bowl no-ball?

New Delhi: It was not captain Kumar Sangakkara but Sri Lankan opening batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan who instructed off-spinner Suraj Randiv to bowl a no-ball so as to prevent Virender Sehwag from completing his century, it was reported on Wednesday. 


It was reported that the enquiry committee that was looking after the entire no-ball fiasco found Dilshan as an offender as he instructed the bowler to bowl a no-ball.

Sri Lankan media reported on Wednesday that Dilshan, Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils team-mate, who was at cover point when Randiv bowled that infamous no-ball, shouted in Sinhalese (oney nam, no-ball ekak danna puluwan), instructing Randiv that ‘if you want, you can bowl a no-ball’. 

Earlier on Tuesday, sources, however, revealed that Sangakkara might face a suspension for a couple of matches over his teammate Suraj Randiv’s deliberate no-ball that denied Indian batsman Virender Sehwag a century in Monday’s third tri-series ODI.

This follows the Lankan team manager submitting a report to the Sri Lankan Cricket Board on the controversy.

The board has studied Sangakkara’s reaction in the last few deliveries of the match. A decision is expected on Wednesday. 

Earlier in the day, Sri Lankan cricket board was examining stump microphone audios to determine whether Sangakkara or any of his teammates had played a role in coaxing Suraj Randiv to bowl a ‘no-ball’ to prevent Sehwag from scoring a century.

Sources said that SLC had sought the tapes from the official broadcasters to investigate as what transpired between the bowler and his teammates during the fag end of the tri-series match. 

Sehwag was just one short of his 13th ODI hundred when Randiv, who had not bowled a no ball in the Test or ODI series this season, bowled one which was hit by the opener for a six.



However, it did not count because the no ball amounted to India’s winning run leaving Sehwag on an unbeaten 99.


According to audio tapes, captain Sangakkara had heard instructing Randiv in Sinhalese “If he hits the ball, he gets the run”.

Although it appeared to be an innocuous comment, some TV channels were interpreting it as an attempt to influence the young bowler to overstep the line and deny Sehwag what could have been his 13th ODI century.


Sangakkara has, however, maintained that he had only asked Randiv to keep the ball tight and not allow Sehwag score a run.