Saltburn cricketer at centre of ‘Clicky Ponting’ cheating allegations suspended by club after viral video

The cricketer at the centre of cheating allegations has been suspended by his club after a video of the incident went viral. Saltburn Cricket Club said on Wednesday that the player will not play again “for the foreseeable future”. The Saltburn fielder was accused of clicking his fingers to get a caught-behind wicket. A first video posted on Monday evening was from Saltburn’s second XI victory over Norton in Division Two and showed the fielder clicking his fingers as the ball passed Norton batter Noman Shabir’s bat before being caught by wicketkeeper Josh Bowes which persuaded the umpire to give him out. An investigation has been launched by the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League. The club say they are ‘treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness’ (X/@ben_mummery) Saltburn, who sit 17 points clear at the top of Division Two, won the match by 159 runs. The club have announced that they will not play their second-team fixture against Marton on Wednesday, opting to concede the cup match following the controversial news. A statement released on Saltburn’s social media channels read: “This is issued in response to the widely publicised complaint made against a Saltburn Cricket Club member and, as a consequence, against the club more generally. “We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness and, as a family-centric club, we are fully cooperating with the NYS League’s investigation. “We believe that the club acted decisively as soon as the complaint and investigation were made known to us. The player at the centre of the complaint has been suspended and will not play again for the club this season or in the foreseeable future, pending the outcome of this investigation. “Initial discussions have already taken place between club officials and the league. “This has been a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned, and we would ask that this reality is borne in mind and that personal boundaries are respected, as we are an amateur club entirely run by volunteers. “We will be making no further comment at this time.” The viral video has now had over seven-and-a-half million views on X, with several celebrities condemning the behaviour.