KING’S Road Yank-ed victory from the jaws of certain defeat after allegations surfaced that an ineligible player was fielded against them.
The relieved Orange Caps were awarded their sixth win of the season because of claims that Warwick Castle cheated.
According to the England (and, yes, Wales) Cricket Board rules no player of American birth is permitted to play against the Road because Americans don’t ‘do’ cricket.
But on Sunday, US player Adil Khan – a known baseball fan – appeared on debut for Warwick against the Orange Caps.
Suspicions arose during his crucial innings of 46 when secessionist traitor to the King Adil shouted: “Yee-ha!”
The fast bowler then proceeded to continue yelping just like a right Yanker all through his spell of bowling in which he took three stunning wicket for three runs.
King’s Road had been bowled out for just 40 after Warwick put on 183 in the 30 over match at Roehampton Playing Fields.
The Road were made to toil in the field against the visitors despite a firey opening spell from fast bowler Dan Howard.
Dan “The Duck”sent opener Tawhid Qureshi to A&E after smacking him on the face with a vicious bouncer which reared up off a length.
Kevin Pittaway also picked up two wickets in the opening spell to keep the game in the balance.
But after that the Road “lacking a cutting edge – struggled to make the breakthrough after a series of catches went down.
It took until the final over until a flurry of wickets came with Chris Beckett taking a wicket with his first ball for the Road and a second with a third.
Both efforts were nifty stumpings by stand-in keeper Matt Cocken who also took two catches and ran out batsman Rob Cooper.
Captain Raju Mazumder also snared two wickets and Dan and Giles Fagan, making a rare bowling appearance, took a wicket each.
King’s Road then collapsed in reply with no batsman getting into double figures as Warwick’s bowlers – and particularly Adil – ran riot.
However, none of that mattered to the Road after the result was declared void by the ECB after a full investigation was carried out in the pub.
The case follows Yorkshire’s expulsion from this year’s Twenty20 competition after the county fielded unregistered Azeem Rafiq in their final group match against Nottinghamshire.
A KRCSC club spokesman said: “The fact Adil scored 46 vital runs and destroyed our middle order with three wickets in one over has nothing to do with this.
“We believe he – as an American – should not be playing cricket. We’re not being xenophobic – some of our best friends are American… – we just think it’s wrong.”
ECB chief executive David Collier, referring to the Yorkshire case, said: “There was no registration of the player right from the outset – that was the key problem.
“There were several severe complications in this case, but the bottom line is the player was not registered to play cricket.”