SALTBURN, England (AP) \u2014 An amateur cricket match in England has become a viral sensation after allegations of cheating were shared on social media. <\/p>\n
A video<\/a>, which claims to show a fielder clicking his fingers to imitate the sound of a bat connecting with the ball before a player is called out, has been viewed millions of times on X. <\/p>\n The person who posted the video described it as \u201cabout the worst case of cheating I\u2019ve ever seen in cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n The video of a match involving North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League team Saltburn, has been greeted with outrage online and generated headlines around the world. <\/p>\n TV presenter Piers Morgan weighed in<\/a>, describing the player involved as the \u201cbiggest cheat in cricket history\u201d and wondered how many batsmen\u2019s days \u201chas he ruined?\u201d <\/p>\n Cricket has had its share of scandals, ranging from the so-called \u201cSandpapergate\u201d<\/a> ball-tampering episode in 2018 that led to suspensions for three Australian international players<\/a>, to spot fixing scandals<\/a> that have led to lengthy bans.<\/p>\n But at the amateur levels of the game, such as this so-called village cricket competition in England, umpires have no access to video replays to make decisions and there\u2019s a level of trust required from players when claiming catches.<\/p>\n A cricket umpire could be fooled into calling a player out if they believed they heard the sound of the ball clipping the edge of a bat before being caught. <\/p>\n The league said in a statement on X that it had received a formal complaint regarding a game on Saturday, but did not reveal which teams were involved. <\/p>\n \u201cA full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n There was no immediate response when The Associated Press contacted the league and Saltburn for comment. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n