ICC’s veiled threat to Dhoni, Cook

Southampton: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday took strong exception to the critical comments made by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his England counterpart Alastair Cook on the James Anderson- Ravindra Jadeja altercation and urged both the captains to respect the judicial process.

On the eve of the third Test, Dhoni made it clear that he was "hurt" after ICC match referee David Boon slapped Jadeja for Level-I offence, resulting in a 50 percent fine in match fees. Dhoni also gave his side of the story on what transpired between the feuding duo during the break of that Trent Bridge Test where Anderson had allegedly pushed and abused Jadeja.

In a media release issued by ICC, its Chief Executive David Richardson said: "England captain Alastair Cook and, more recently, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have made public comments relating to the alleged incident that took place during the first Test at Trent Bridge, the latter of which is critical of and undermines the ICC disciplinary process.

"The ICC would also like to reiterate its full support of the process followed and respect for the decision made by David Boon. ICC Code of Conduct hearings of this nature are, generally speaking, difficult processes to work through, with detailed legal submissions, witness statements and oral witness testimony," Richardson said in the release.