July 28 (Reuters) - An amateur cricketer has become a viral sensation online after allegedly using finger clicks to mimic the sound of bat-on-ball edges, fooling umpires into giving batters out.
The North Yorkshire and South Durham league has launched an investigation into a Division Two match between Saltburn Cricket Club and Norton, where the Saltburn fielder was caught on camera clicking his fingers as deliveries passed the bat.
The player, who fields at slip or silly point, appears to have perfected the art of creating fake edge sounds just as batters make tentative prods at deliveries subsequently caught by the wicketkeeper.
Videos circulating online show the fielder's alleged finger-snapping antics, earning him the nickname "Clicky Ponting", a pun on the name of former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
"The League have received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday 25th July 2026," the league said. "A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made."
Saltburn crushed Norton by 159 runs. Their wicketkeeper Josh Bowes also took eight catches in a 22-run victory over Shildon Railway the previous weekend. The record in test cricket is seven catches by a wicketkeeper in one innings.
Reuters has contacted Saltburn for comment.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
