England v India, 2nd Test, Trent Bridge

Match referee to speak to captains about poor behaviour

Cricinfo staff

August 1, 2007

Ranjan Madugalle will speak to Michael Vaughan and Rahul Dravid after an incident-filled Test at Trent Bridge © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan and Rahul Dravid, the captains of England and India, will be spoken to by match referee Ranjan Madugalle before the third Test at The Oval after the second at Trent Bridge had several incidents of poor behaviour from both teams.

"I'll have a word with the captains then [the eve of the Oval Test]," Madugalle told the Independent. "The most important thing is for the captains to realise their responsibilities and for that to cascade down to the rest of the team. People should remember the game for the quality of cricket that is played, that is the bottom line."

The hard-fought match at Trent Bridge was overshadowed by England's jelly bean prank, sledging, and Sreesanth's shoulder-barging Vaughan, and Madugalle said that he would speak to the captains to ensure that their players behaved within the spirit and the laws of cricket.

Madugalle fined Sreesanth 50% of his match fee for barging into Vaughan, "a collision he had every opportunity to avoid". Sreesanth also came under scrutiny from the media for a head-high beamer to Kevin Pietersen and for over-stepping his crease by a foot while bowling a bouncer to Paul Collingwood.

© Cricinfo