Sussex bowler Mitch Claydon suspended amid allegation of applying hand sanitiser to ball

The 37-year-old is unavailable for the final Bob Willis Trophy match against Surrey at The Kia Oval starting on Sunday (September 6)

• Bob Willis Trophy essentials - all you need to know

Mitch Claydon is under investigation for allegedly applying hand sanitiser to the ball during Sussex's Bob Willis Trophy match against Middlesex last month.

The 37-year-old is suspended pending the outcome of the case and will not feature in the four-day match against Surrey at The Kia Oval starting on Sunday (September 6).

Due to strict protocols surrounding matches taking place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, players are prohibited from using saliva on the ball. That ban is extended to sweat for recreational cricket.

Rule 41.2.2 of the regulations for the Bob Willis Trophy state: "It is an offence for any player to take any action which changes or which may be perceived as likely to change the condition of the ball."

Claydon, who joined the Hove club at the end of last season after a lengthy spell at Kent, has not featured for Sussex since the alleged incident.

Earlier this term he took his 300th first-class wicket against Hampshire in the opening round of the Bob Willis Trophy.

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