Match referee during Harbhajan-Sreesanth slapgate incident didn't expect video to be out: 'I maintained confidentiality'
Farokh Engineer is surprised that the Harbhajan-Sreesanth slapgate video has been made public after 17 years in the archives.
The infamous slapgate incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth during the first-ever edition of the Indian Premier League back in 2008 was a long, forgotten chapter in Indian cricket. Until last week… when it wasn't anymore. After 17 years buried in the IPL video archives, Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the IPL, released the video footage during Michael Clarke's Beyond23 Cricket Podcast last week, scraping old wounds. All this while, everyone knew that Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth, but what exactly and more importantly, how it happened, kept the public guessing. The question was answered through the small clip, which showed Harbhajan using a backhand across Sreesanth's face, leaving the pacer and the onlookers in shock.
Sreesanth's wife has already expressed her displeasure with Modi and Clarke when she posted a scathing Instagram story condemning the act. But that seems to be just the start of something that promises to snowball into something big and controversial. The legendary Farokh Engineer, who served as the match referee during Match 10 between the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) on April 25, and kept the details of the incident to himself, finally spoke about the video being made public.
"I'm surprised that the footage has emerged after all these years. As match referee for that particular match, I maintained confidentiality throughout and didn't speak about the contents of the incident even to the best of my friends in the media," Engineer told mid-day.
{{/usCountry}}"I'm surprised that the footage has emerged after all these years. As match referee for that particular match, I maintained confidentiality throughout and didn't speak about the contents of the incident even to the best of my friends in the media," Engineer told mid-day.
{{/usCountry}}'I did my job with dignified silence'
{{/usCountry}}'I did my job with dignified silence'
{{/usCountry}}17 years is a long time. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since. Harbhajan and Sreesanth have been teammates – and cordial ones, winning the 2011 World Cup together and have moved past that episode. Harbhajan has apologised several times, and Sreesanth, who was at the receiving end of his senior pro's temper, has, in fact, made fun of the incident. However, the footage's emergence all of a sudden has promises to make those involved awkward.
{{/usCountry}}17 years is a long time. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since. Harbhajan and Sreesanth have been teammates – and cordial ones, winning the 2011 World Cup together and have moved past that episode. Harbhajan has apologised several times, and Sreesanth, who was at the receiving end of his senior pro's temper, has, in fact, made fun of the incident. However, the footage's emergence all of a sudden has promises to make those involved awkward.
{{/usCountry}}"I had a job to do as match referee and I believe I did it [well] with dignified silence. It’s a thing of the past, and I’m sure both players have long buried their differences. Like many other things in cricket, it was done in the heat of the moment. Harbhajan is a good friend. We move on," the former India captain added.
