Board clears cricketers

Press, 14 April 1984, Page 76

Board clears cricketers

NZPA-Reuter London England’s cricketers, accused of drug-taking and bad behaviour on their recent tour of New Zealand, have been cleared by the executive committee of the Test and County Cricket Board. After a discussion lasting just over an hour, the committee asserted that their investigations had not “substantiated any of the serious allegations made.” The T.C.C.8., which also found no evidence to suggest that behaviour after playing hours had affected performances, said they retained the right to renew

their probe if any new evidence came to light. Investigations started when the team arrived home last month from Pakistan, the second leg of the tour, and followed specific drug-taking allegations by the “Mail on Sunday” in a British newspaper. The investigation concluded that the “team in general created a good impression with their New Zealand hosts.” Mr Stewart Steven, editor of the “Mail on Sunday” said later: “I feel that the public would like to know that in the course of those so-called “wide-ranging investigations” the executive

committee has failed to even so much as interview a single “Mail on Sunday” journalist involved in this lengthy inquiry or a single witness named or otherwise by the “Mail on Sunday” in its report. “The phrase ‘wideranging investigations’ clearly means something quite different to the Test and County Cricket Board than it does to a national newspaper.” lan Botham has issued two writs against the “Mail on Sunday” in response to the allegations. “These will be vigorously defended,” said Mr Steven.