Reeve faces code of conduct hearing 

Outspoken Central Districts cricket coach Dermot Reeve may have spoken out once too often.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has initiated a code of conduct hearing into comments made by Reeve, accusing Auckland allrounder Ravi Bopara of ball tampering.

Reeve said English import Bopara was guilty of ball tampering during his team's national one-day competition win over Central Districts in Palmerston North on Sunday.

"I would take an oath and swear on my children's lives, that I saw Ravi Bopara using his nails on the ball to help it swing," Reeve told Tuesday's Dominion-Post newspaper.

The accusation has been denied by Auckland coach Paul Strang and captain Gareth Hopkins.

On Wednesday, NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said he requested the code of conduct hearing to determine whether Reeve's comments were prejudicial to the game or brought it into disrepute.

The hearing, to be conducted by a commissioner appointed by the Central Districts Cricket Association, is expected to take place early in the New Year.

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