It’s clear that Dravid broke the law: Lloyd

Rahul Dravid is upset by the fine imposed on him for changing the condition of the ball, but ICC match referee Clive Lloyd, who slapped the ...

Rahul Dravid is upset by the fine imposed on him for changing the condition of the ball, but ICC match referee Clive Lloyd, who slapped the fine, today said the evidence against the batsman was “quite conclusive”.

Though the Indian team management said Dravid’s action during the tri-series match against Zimbabwe at Brisbane yesterday was accidental, Lloyd was not ready to accept it.

“It could not have been accidental because he has been fined. It was shown he was applying a substance to it. I looked at the film and it was conclusive. The rules are there — you can only apply saliva and sweat to the ball,” said Lloyd, who fined Dravid 50 per cent of his match fees.

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“India can say it is accidental. But the point is the footage showed that something has been applied to the ball and the rules state that you are not allowed to do it,” he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Once the charge is brought, you have to show the evidence. Something was applied to the ball quite obviously and he (dravid) must have known it. It is quite conclusive on film.”

Lloyd said Dravid escaped a bigger fine because of his unblemished track record. “We could have fined fifty per cent or 100 per cent of his match fees, a Test or two one-dayers. We took into account his past record,” the former West Indian captain said of Dravid’s level 2 code of conduct breach.