HARVEER Gandam has jumped to the defence of Mohammed Fazal after the Burnham Cricket Club stalwart was embroiled in an ugly bust-up with Henley.

Fazal has been slapped with an eight-match ban from the Home Counties Premier League following an investigation into an incident during a Division One match at Taplow Common Road on May 14.

The player has apologised for his part in the incident which left him dizzy and bleeding from the mouth and led to him taking a break from the sport.

But Burnham skipper Gandam has backed Fazal with a glowing character reference, describing him as a role model for other players.

“Mohammed has owned up to his actions and was the first to apologise to everyone,” Gandam told the Observer.

“He has come to the club and apologised for effectively tarnishing its reputation.

“I have seen the disappointment in his eyes because it’s not in his nature. He is such a good role model for the younger guys.”

He added: “He was struck in the face with a ball to the point where he was dizzy and spitting out blood.

“He went to hospital that evening and has not played since.

“At his age, he has more to lose than a game of cricket, and I’m just happy that he is okay.

“We have accepted the actions taken by the league and, to be honest, had it been any other player at the club it would’ve been a serious issue for me and people higher up the chain.

“His ability to diffuse situations is something that I have not seen before and he has the respect of all the other players.

“We respect him and look to him as an example of how we should behave on the cricket field.

“It’s very easy to label someone a black swan when you don’t know them. Mohammed is a great guy and a brilliant human being.”

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Muhammed Fazal has been slapped with an eight-match ban by the Home Counties League for his involvment in the bust-up at Henley on May 14.

Gandam also hit back at Henley, suggesting they could have handled the incident better themselves.

“Is winning a game of amateur cricket more important than the well-being of players involved?” he quizzed.

“Where do you draw the line?

“It is difficult to manage your own team on the field let alone the actions of players in other teams.”

The Burnham skipper also criticised a lack of intervention from match umpires on the day, and is calling for more communication from league officials.

Gandam said: “I’m disappointed with the umpires because they had the opportunity to intervene and make sure Mohammed was okay.

“I marked them down on their levels of interference but have not had a call from the league to ask why.

“There needs to be a conversation because this was a potentially serious incident.

“There should be a level of intervention in place for the umpires to have their say and diffuse the moment.

“I accept the actions taken by the league, but feel the umpires did not take the right course of action.

“The whole incident was not handled properly and it is not what we expect.

“I feel quite angry.”

The Home Counties Premier League have declined to provide comment with the matter still under investigation.

Henley Cricket Club were unavailable for comment as the Observer went to press.