July 29 (Reuters) - An English amateur cricketer at the centre of allegations of finger-clicking trickery has been suspended and will not play "for the foreseeable future", his club said on Wednesday.
The fielder, dubbed "Clicky Ponting" on social media in a punning nod to former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, allegedly tricked umpires by clicking his fingers to make the sound of a ball nicking the bat as deliveries were missed and caught by the keeper.
The video footage went viral on social media and made international headlines.
Saltburn Cricket Club, run by volunteers, said in a statement it was treating the allegations "with the utmost seriousness."
"The player at the centre of the complaint has been suspended and will not play again for the club this season or in the foreseeable future, pending the outcome of this investigation."
It said initial discussions between club officials and the North Yorkshire and South Durham league had already taken place.
The league said on Tuesday it had received a formal complaint "regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday 25th July 2026."
Saltburn said it had been a distressing and stressful experience for all concerned and asked for 'personal boundaries' to be respected.
The club are top of the Division Two table with 10 wins from 15 matches.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
