Did SL A's Vishen Halambage provoke Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? Report suggests
What's the story
The recent on-field brawl between India's 15-year-old batting prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Sri Lanka A players, including Vishen Halambage, has been making headlines. The incident took place after India A's Super Over defeat at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. Following the incident, some senior Sri Lankan players have expressed their regrets to Sooryavanshi over the whole affair, according to a Cricbuzz report. Here are further details.
Apology attempts
Apologies from senior SL players
The report added that the senior Sri Lankan players who have reached out to Sooryavanshi are not members of the Sri Lanka A team involved in the tri-series. They are seasoned cricketers who know Sooryavanshi through their IPL interactions. Cricbuzz had reported earlier that some members of the Sri Lanka A team believed an apology from their camp was due to the Indian side.
Provocation details
Halambage sledged Sooryavanshi throughout the series
Halambage had been trying to provoke Sooryavanshi since the first game, which India won in a close finish on June 9. Sources told Cricbuzz that Halambage sledged the Indian opener during that match. It continued in the second game on Monday morning when India batted. He even verbally attacked Sooryavanshi during his Super Over innings, allegedly, saying, "Go home, this is not the IPL."
Retaliation and resolution
What happened after the match?
After the Super Over, Halambage reportedly charged at Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge, the other Indian opener. In retaliation, Sooryavanshi hit back before Niroshan Dickwella intervened to diffuse the situation. Despite the heated confrontation, players from both sides participated in the post-match handshake ceremony once tempers had cooled down. However, disciplinary action may still be taken against Sooryavanshi and Halambage for their roles in this incident.
Information
Will ICC intervene?
The ICC usually doesn't get involved in disciplinary matters for A-team series or appoint match officials for those games. Hence, any punishment stemming from this incident would be unusual.
End
Controversial end to the match
The match ended in a tie when SL A needed two runs off the final to chase down 266. However, C Gunasekara was run out. The Super Over's uncertainty stemmed from the umpires deeming the light dim. India A captain Tilak Varma and the coaching staff protested vehemently, and after long discussions, the officials decided to go ahead with it.