Banned Vermeulen face disciplinary hearing tomorrow

London, Sep 17 (UNI) Fate hangs in balance for former Zimbabwe player Mark Vermeulen who faces a disciplinary hearing tomorrow after being banned last week from first-class and league cricket in England for 10 years for threatening the crowd.

The temperamental batsman, playing for Werneth against Ashton, allegedly threw a ball into the crowd after an argument with a spectator. He was subsequently banned from the Central Lancashire League.

''We understand the league believed Mark was no longer in the country, which is not the case,'' BBC Sports quoted Vermeulen's lawyer as saying.

''Mark is devastated to find himself in this position and understands that his behaviour at the match in question was far from acceptable,''he said and added that the player had offered his heartfelt apologies to the spectators and the league.

Vermeulen, who played the last of eight Tests and 32 one-dayers in 2004, is notoriously short-tempered and had been in trouble with cricket authorities before.

In 1996, He was banned from schools cricket for knocking out his stumps after being given out. In 2003, he was sent home from Zimbabwe's tour of England for leaving the ground on his own after twice being dismissed for ducks on the third day of the second Test.

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