Leicestershire appeal 27-point deduction for poor pitch

Leicestershire chief executive Emma White has confirmed the club will be appealing its 27-point deduction for the poor pitch that groundsman Callum Lewis later argued was due to a Bollywood film shoot;

Leicestershire County Cricket Club have confirmed they are appealing the 27-point deduction and £5,000 fine for breaching pitch regulations in August's win over Glamorgan.

Leicestershire's groundsman Callum Lewin had argued filming of an unscheduled Bollywood film - believed to be for a biopic of former India captain Sourav Ganguly - had taken place at the ground four days before the Glamorgan fixture, preventing the pitch from being covered for eight hours in bright sunshine.

This was dismissed by the panel as a mitigating factor as it was only one day.

"The club respects the Cricket Discipline Panel process, which is ongoing. However, we have serious concerns about the process that resulted in the Panel's decision on the charge and the sanctioning procedure," said Leicestershire chief executive Emma White.

An open letter from Chief Executive, Emma White. pic.twitter.com/BQOkddoIjh

The independent Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) upheld the Cricket Regulator's charge against Leicestershire for breaching the ECB Pitch Regulations, with the pitch at Uptonsteel Grace Road rated as 'poor' during the County Championship match against Glamorgan, between August 20-23.

Leicestershire won the low-scoring match by 42 runs and the pitch was inspected immediately after.

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The statement added that Leicestershire have instructed sports law barrister Craig Harris of Furnival Chambers to advise and represent the club.

"The Panel itself found that the club did not intend the pitch to play as it did and that this was not a case of cheating. Our grounds team has an outstanding record, and I am proud of the work they do," White added.