Match referee Chris Broad completes triple century of ODIs
Pune, Oct 27 : Chris Broad Saturday became only the second member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees to reach 300 ODIs when he walked out for the toss in the third match between India and the West Indies here.
Even though Broad made his ODI debut as an official in Auckland in 2004, 11 years after Ranjan Madugalle refereed in his opening match in Karachi, the Englishman now trails the Sri Lankan by only 36 ODIs.
Jeff Crowe of New Zealand is third on the list with 270 ODIs, while former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath has officiated in 212 ODIs. Roshan Mahanama retired in 2015 after refereeing in 222 ODIs.
Broad is presently sitting on 98 Tests and will become the second referee after Madugalle to complete a unique double by reaching the 100-Test mark in the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Wellington in March 2019. Madugalle also leads Broad 92-89 on a head-to-head in T20Is.
A stylish left-handed top-order batsman during his playing days, Broad became an elite match referee in 2004, a year after refereeing in his maiden Test in Hamilton, and has since refereed in all the ICC Cricket World Cups.
"I feel honoured and incredibly fortunate to be actively involved with the game for such a long period," remarked Broad, adding: "300 is not a number for me but a story of all those who have made contributions and sacrifices so that I can live my dreams and achieve my objectives.
"On top of that list is my immediate family, and followed by colleagues in the ECB and ICC, and all my mates in the match officials' panel."
To mark the occasion, a memento was presented to Broad before the start of the match. He played 25 Tests and 34 ODIs for England between 1984 and 1989, scoring 1661 and 1361 runs, respectively.
In 1986-87, he hit three successive centuries in an Ashes series to equal Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond's record.
Besides 300 ODIs, Broad has also refereed in 98 Tests and 89 T20Is. He will complete his century of Tests in the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Wellington in March 2019.
Broad's son Stuart is a regular member of the England Test side, having taken 433 wickets in 123 matches. He also played in 121 ODIs and 56 T20Is, taking 121 and 55 wickets, respectively.
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Mumbai family deaths: FDA finds no watermelon vendor in area to check for affected stock
Mumbai (PTI): The Food and Drug Administration team probing the cause of death of four members of a family in south Mumbai's JJ Marg area have not been able to zero in on any watermelon vendor in the vicinity to check if the fruit had a role to play in the ill-fated incident, an official said on Thursday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
"The FDA team visited the house of Dokadia and collected samples of chicken pulao and watermelon pieces. After two days, the leftover chicken pulao had developed fungus growth. The team also tried to locate watermelon vendors to check for any affected lots," he said.
But no vendors were found in the area for the past two days, preventing the FDA team from getting samples, the official added.
The FDA has requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to share the report on the food samples collected by them, he added.
A senior Mumbai police official said the force is waiting for FSL reports in the case, adding that questions on presence of sedatives etc in the fruit could be answered only then.
The statements of the kin of the deceased are being recorded to ascertain if it is a case of mass suicide, and it is being checked if the Dokadia family were in debt or distressed over some issue, the police official said.
