Durham to speak to head coach James Franklin over Yuzvendra Chahal allegations
New Delhi, Apr 11: County side Durham has said they will speak to head coach James Franklin "privately" over the physical harassment allegations made by Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal against the former New Zealand pacer.
Earlier this year, in a podcast published by Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chahal had recalled an incident from 2011 when his then Mumbai Indians teammates Franklin and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds had allegedly tied him up while celebrating their win in the Champions League final that year.
"We are aware of recent news reports surrounding an incident in 2011 which name a member of our staff," Durham said in a statement to 'ESPNcricinfo'.
"As with any matters involving employees, the club will speak privately with all parties involved to determine the facts."
Chahal also alleged that the duo had taped his mouth, left him in a room and forgot about him for a whole night.
Franklin, who was part of Mumbai Indians squad from 2011 to 2013, was appointed Durham coach in early 2019.
"It happened in 2011, when Mumbai Indians won the Champions League. We were in Chennai. He [Symonds] had had a lot of 'fruit juice'.
"I don't know what he was thinking, but he and James Franklin got together and tied my hands and legs and said, 'no, you've to open'. They were so lost that they taped my mouth and forgot about me completely during the party.
"Then they all left and, in the morning, someone came to clean [the room] and saw me, and called a few others and untied me," Chahal claimed.
According to Chahal, neither player has ever apologised.
The allegations against Franklin and Symonds have come to the fore after the leg-spinner revealed another shocking incident when a drunk player dangled him from the 15th-floor balcony of a Bengaluru hotel during a post-match IPL party in 2013.
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Indian-origin man dies after eight-hour wait at Canada hospital
Edmonton: A 44-year-old Indian-origin man died of a suspected cardiac arrest after waiting for over eight hours without treatment at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, raising serious concerns about emergency healthcare delays.
The deceased, Prashant Sreekumar, was taken to the hospital on December 22 after he complained of severe chest pain while at work. Despite his condition, he was reportedly made to wait in the emergency room for several hours without being admitted for treatment, NDTV reported.
His father, Kumar Sreekumar, soon reached the hospital. "He told me, 'Papa, I cannot bear the pain,'" NDTV quoted Kumar Sreekumar as saying.
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Doctors conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG) but reportedly told the family that there was nothing alarming. Prashant was then asked to continue waiting. During this time, his blood pressure continued to rise, and he was given only Tylenol for pain relief.
After waiting for more than eight hours, Prashant was finally taken into the treatment area. Moments later, he collapsed after clutching his chest. "After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, he got up and put his hand on his chest and just crashed," Kumar Sreekumar said.
Nurses called for help and tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Prashant Sreekumar died of an apparent cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife and three children, ages three, 10 and 14.
Grey Nuns Community Hospital, operated by Covenant Health reportedly said, it could not comment on individual patient care but confirmed that the incident is under review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The hospital expressed condolences to the family and said patient safety remains its top priority.
