Pravin Tambe likely to escape sanction for featuring in match with banned Mohammad Ashraful

Tambe said that he was unaware of Ashraful’s participation in the tournament

Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Pravin Tambe is likely to escape punishment for appearing in a private T20 tournament in New Jersey that also featured banned cricketer Mohammad Ashraful, ESPNCricinfo reports. Whether the tournament was organised by the USA Cricket Association (USACA), who themselves were suspended by the ICC in June, is not certain and Tambe is likely to get away with a formal warning.

The 43-year-old courted trouble after reports emerged yesterday that he had played with Ashraful in the Laurel Hill Cricket Twenty20 tournament on July 26. The former Bangladesh skipper is currently serving a five-year ban imposed on him by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for his role in fixing during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League.

Both the BCCI and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), whom Tambe represented in the Ranji Trophy, are yet to react officially on the matter, but an official of the country’s governing body, well versed with the anti-corruption code, said that Tambe had no reasons to worry.

"He has not violated any code of conduct. Normally it is the responsibility of the host association to ensure that no banned player participates in any match organised by them. In this case, it is not known if this match was played under the aegis of USACA. Hence, there may be occasions when players are actually not aware of every player they are playing with or against," the BCCI official said justifying Tambe.

"If it was local club cricket and Tambe claims he did not know that Ashraful was participating, then we have to take Tambe's word for it unless proved otherwise," he further added.

When enquired about the player not seeking permission from the MCA to participate in the tournament, he said that even if they had given Tambe the No Objection Certificate (NOC), things would pretty much be the same.

“Even if MCA had given him an NOC, MCA themselves would not verify the players playing. It is the duty of the host association to see no banned players are participating in the tournament," the BCCI official said.

Abey Kuruvilla supports Tambe

Former Indian cricketer and current sports director of DY Patil Group Abey Kuruvilla has come in support of the leg spinner.

"I have spoken to Pravin and he said he played a practice match and did not participate in the tournament,” Kuruvilla said, as reported by Mid-Day. “Pravin was in the US on a holiday at a friend's place. He was urged to play there and since it was a friendly match, he played.”

“He is vigilant enough to understand the rules. Pravin said he would not have played the match had he known about Ashraful's presence. He did not participate in any other matches after that," said Kuruvilla.