Another UTCA cricketer faces age fraud allegations, probe marked

In an alleged second case of tampering with age proof documents within two months, a player of the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA), Chandigarh, has been accused of committing ‘age fraud’.

The player (name withheld) is currently playing for Chandigarh in the ongoing Cooch Behar Trophy match against Delhi at the DDCA stadium. The match started on November 28 and the player batted for the Chandigarh team. “We have received the complaint and marked an inquiry. The player has two different date of birth certificates. Action will be taken after consulting the BCCI,” said UTCA spokesperson.

Replaced during match

Perhaps for the first time in the history of the sport, a player has been substituted while a match was in progress. The Chandigarh player, who has been allegedly caught committing age fraud, was substituted by another player in the second innings against Delhi on Friday. The player was asked to sit out by BCCI officials and he didn’t come to bat, claimed sources.

As per the documents, the player has two date of birth certificates issued in his nam, mentioning two different dates. The certificates have been issued by the same government authority located in a central state of India. One of the certificates mentions the player’s year of birth as 2002 (registered in 2016) and another mentions 2005 (registered in 2021), while the date of the birth is the same in both certificates. The UTCA had received an anonymous complaint in this regard, claimed sources.

The UTCA scrutinises documents of all players before registering them. Sources claimed that the UTCA is taking this incident seriously and will take strict action to set an example in order to avoid future embarrassments. However, the officials have failed to take any action against the players found guilty of committing the same fraud or the officials responsible of clearing the names of these players during the registration process.

“Chandigarh has become a hub of outstation players while local players are avoided. I am not saying everyone, but majority of the players coming from other states to play for Chandigarh come with proper planning for nurturing their future. If details of players are easily available with parents, why the officials cannot have it before the start of the season,” said a cricket coach seeking anonymity.

Earlier in October this year, one of the U-19 cricketers registered with the UTCA was caught tampering with his age-proof certificate. According to sources, as many as three players came under scanner when the UTCA officials were handed over two certificates mentioning two separate dates of birth of the accused players. After an inquiry, the matter was forwarded to the BCCI, which found one player guilty of committing the ‘fraud’.

Meanwhile, the player found guilty may face a ban of at least two years by the BCCI.

The board has age-verification tests for cricketers under the age of 16. The tests includes Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) test. This test assesses bone maturity in the wrist and hand to determine the age. The BCCI uses this test for under-16 players, along with verifying documents. The margin of error for this test is six months. Despite this, many cases of committing age frauds have emerged across India.