The two teams will do battle once more later tonight in the all-important final at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
The Legends League Cricket took an unexpected turn when Yusuf Pathan and Mitchell Johnson got into a fight during a match between Bhilwara Kings and India Capitals.
After an unpleasant argument, the former Australia bowler shoved the former India all-rounder. Everything appeared to be going according to plan during one of the Qualifiers until the cameras moved to Yusuf retaliating violently to Johnson on the opposite end. As Yusuf and Johnson approached one another, things immediately became heated.
After exchanging words, the left-arm quick shoved Pathan aside. Had the authorities and the players not separated the two, things may have gone further out of control.
There was no new information on what what happened between Johnson and Yusuf to cause the two to lose their cool until yesterday. However, new information from Australia indicates that Yusuf's disruptive behavior toward the match's female umpire, Kim Cotton, is what caused the confrontation. Yusuf reportedly criticized Cotton for her choice to not call the final delivery of Johnson's third over a wide, which prompted the former Australia quick to object to it.
"Mitch [Johnson] did nothing. [Pathan] was sledging the female umpires," Fox Cricket Australia quoted a player as saying, who decided to keep his identity anonymous.
Johnson suffered consequences for his behavior in the form of a punishment equal to half of his match fee and a formal warning from Legends League Cricket commissioner Ravi Shastri. Meanwhile, Yusuf managed to go away without being scolded.
"We are here to promote serious and competitive cricket through this league. What happened yesterday on the ground during the qualifier match shouldn't have happened. We have closely gone through the video multiple times before coming to any conclusion. I hope everyone gets a clear message that the spirit of the game is of prime importance and such things won't get repeated in this league," said Raman Raheja, CEO and Co-Founder of Legends League Cricket.
However, the close call between Yusuf and Johnson did not take the shine off their captivating competition. Yusuf hit Johnson for 6, 4, and 6 in an over while smashing 48 off of just 28 balls.
Despite this, Yusuf's efforts fell short as the Capitals won the match by a margin of four wickets. Ross Taylor of the Capitals scored 84 runs in just 39 balls, including nine fours and five huge sixes, while Nurse scored an undefeated 60. His side comfortably chased down the biggest target of the season in the end with three balls to spare thanks to his 28-ball magnificent performance, which was studded with five fours and four sixes.
The two teams will do battle once more later tonight in the all-important final at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
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