Brian Devine is understood to be the player to have wreaked havoc not just in English cricket but also in international cricket — in a manner of speaking.
The 38-year-old has taken cheating in sports to the next level. Hold your breath, what he does is this: he is often in the slips, and just as the ball is about to pass the bat, he makes a clicking sound with his fingers to confuse the umpire. An appeal involving many fielders ensues, and the befuddled umpire has no option but to give out. Of course, there are no reviews available in the cricket league.
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There is enough data to support the claims that something is fishy. Devine, who plays for Saltburn in a league in the North of England, has taken maximum catches, far more than the fielder in second place. Saltburn are siting pretty at the top to boot. Going by Devine’s profile bio on X, one can make out that he is a hustler and will do whatever it takes to finish the job at hand. “They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job,” it reads.
After the scandal broke through, fans are livid. Many more new videos have since come out, supporting the cheating claims. Devine, who works at an auction house, has now been dubbed “Clicky Ponting”. It’s a funny take on the name of former Australia captain, Ricky Ponting.
Devine in the soup
Anyway, an investigation has been launched. If truth be told, Devine appears to be in trouble having already been dropped by his sponsor, a local Indian restaurant named “Spices.”
“From all the evidence, he’s done it to all the clubs in pretty much every game. Interestingly, when he got found out, and the clicking stopped, the wickets also stopped for a long time,” a rival player wrote according to the Sun.
Another rival player weighed in: “It’s clear what’s been happening, and it’s not confined to one game. I was at the other end when one of our players was dismissed, but our batsman was adamant he was nowhere near the ball. We had three given out caught behind that day, and all of them said they hadn’t touched the ball.”
Renowned TV host Piers Morgan, a cricket enthusiast, couldn’t help but comment on X and expressed his surprise: “Unbelievable. Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history,” he wrote. Craig Symington, who shared the cheating video, was furious. “We play this game on integrity and trust. Please share this far and wide to sort this rubbish out.”