Henry Nicholls Photo: photosport
Canterbury batsman Henry Nicholls has been cleared of ball tampering following a New Zealand Cricket disciplinary hearing.
Black Caps international Henry was caught on camera appearing to attempt to change the condition of the ball while fielding by rubbing it against a helmet in a Plunket Shield match against Auckland last week.
He was reported by match umpires, who alleged he had breached Rule 3.1, article 1.15 of the NZC's Code of Conduct - which changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 41.3 of the Laws of Cricket.
A disciplinary hearing conducted on Saturday by independent commissioners Lee Robinson and John Greenwood examined evidence.
The hearing heard submissions from Nicholls, match umpires, Kim Cotton and Derek Walker, Canterbury coach Peter Fulton, Canterbury High Performance Manager Ant Sharp, and New Zealand Cricket Players Association representative, Evan Jones.
In a statement, the commissioners said they found that neither the actions of Nicholls nor the evidence presented met the threshold required to rule a breach of the Code of Conduct.
"We find the Player's actions were, in fact, unlikely to alter the condition of the ball or the shape of the ball," the statement said.
That meant any allegation of unacceptable behaviour under Rule 3.1 could not be upheld and the charge was dismissed.
Nicholls, 31, has played 54 tests for New Zealand, along with 82 white ball international matches.