NZ cricketers stir India riot

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said, 'They breach rules from time to time and we hold them to account.' Photo / Paul Estcourt

Two New Zealand cricketers were questioned at a police station in India after sparking a riot with a drunken but good-natured piece of revelry.

New Zealand Cricket has admitted it did not disclose the incident during the August tour by the New Zealand A team - all but three in the team had been Black Caps.

The cricketers made a small effort to help relieve the burden of poverty in the city of Chennai during a night out on the drink, in breach of the team curfew.

Cricket bosses refused to name the two yesterday, but they are likely to come under pressure in coming days, to clear the names of the other 13 members of the team. which included top internationals such as Shane Bond, Peter Fulton and Kyle Mills.

At the end of the night the pair visited an ATM. They removed a sum of rupees and tried to pass them out to passersby.

However, the intended charity quickly became more popular than the pair had counted on. The crowd grew larger and more unruly and, according to sources, a full-scale riot broke out.

Police intervened and detained the players at the police station. Once police realised who they were, the players bundled them into a taxi and sent them to their hotel.

There were no travelling journalists with the team and the matter was dealt with internally. No statement was made until word of the incident leaked to the Herald on Sunday.

In cricket touring terms, this was a significant breach of security protocol. In March, gunmen killed at least six people and wounded Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan after an ambush of the Black Caps team bus.

There is no suggestion that the New Zealand A players were in danger of any such incident in Chennai but breaking curfew was potentially a serious offence.

The players told team management the next morning and when management asked local police about the incident, they found there there was no record of it.

The bureaucratic burden of prosecuting high-profile cricketers in India is understood to be viewed by police as not worth the trouble with officials, fans and paperwork.

New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills said the account of events was the "action-packed" version but was accurate.

"Two players were charged with misconduct, but it's not my place to reveal the details or the punishment," Mills said.

It is not known what penalties were applied but New Zealand Cricket has taken a dim view of incidents involving national representatives in recent times.

Earlier this week Jesse Ryder faced a misconduct charge on his return from South Africa. He abused Black Caps manager Dave Currie during the Sri Lanka match at the Champions Trophy.

Under NZ Cricket policy, players can be issued with a warning, a fine or even have their contracts terminated.

It is understood the two players involved are on a "last warning" scenario over their employment, after receiving a severe censure. The prospect of them being sent home from the tour was raised at the time.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said, "The issue we had was around players breaching security protocols. They had misconduct proceedings against them and that was the end of story.

"It was dealt with internally ... There were no arrests, there was nothing untoward, they breach rules from time to time and we hold them to account.

"They know it's wrong and won't do it again. I'm not prepared to disclose the fine - that's New Zealand Cricket policy.

"It is hard when you're locked into a secure environment, it's not pleasant. It isn't a holiday and it's not the easiest place in the world to tour, particularly in the current environment."

NZ A touring party

Aaron Redmond
Jamie How
Peter Fulton
BJ Watling
Neil Broom
Kane Williamson
Gareth Hopkins
Peter McGlashan
Nathan McCullum
Kyle Mills
Brendon Diamanti
Tim Southee
Brent Arnel
Tarun Nethula
Shane Bond