It was a ball by Muralitharan that inclined to the off-side and straightened to hit the pads. Australian Umpire Simon Taufel promptly raised a finger and Pietersen disbelievingly indicated that he had nicked the ball. Taufel reported the incident to match referee G.R. Vishwanath who said it was a level 1 offence according to DLF Indian Premier League’s Code of Conduct. But Pietersen was spared any fine and let off with a severe warning.

Commenting on the incident Modi said, “Every incident in IPL is being closely monitored ... We have a zero-tolerance policy on player indiscipline and will take all necessary steps to ensure that the game is played in the true spirit of cricket.

Cricketers need to realise that they are role models for an entire generation of youth and it is crucial for youngsters all over the world to learn the values of this great game and the spirit in which it should be played.

“The eyes of the world are on the DLF Indian Premier League and we want to see cricket, and the spirit of cricket, at its best,” he said.

Kevin Pietersen is available for the Bangalore Royal Challengers for only another week as he is to leave for England for the upcoming cricket series against West Indies. Andrew Flintoff, and England’s other players in various IPL teams will be leaving too. Lalit Modi hopes that they will come back for the semis if their teams get that far: “We would like to hope they can make it back and we will try to work it out. But at the end of the day it’s a decision to be taken by them and the ECB.”

But it does seem like a difficult proposition since the IPL semis are on May 22nd and 23rd, while England’s ODIs have been scheduled for 21st and 24th

Modi also spoke of the improved relations between the BCCI and the ECB and suggested that the ECB could assume a financial stake in the Twenty20 Champions League: “The matter is open. Anything can change. The idea is that we want to build the league. The ECB and the BCCI had a rocky start because everyone is wary at the beginning or protecting their own territory, but we have a good relationship with them now and we hope to build on it.”

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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