Groundsman Lee Fortis, who clashed with Gambhir, is leaving Surrey following a disciplinary dispute

Lee Fortis, Surrey’s leading ground player who was involved in a heated confrontation with India head coach Gautam Gambhir during the team’s 2025 Test tour of England, has left the county club following disciplinary proceedings over his conduct.

Fortis, who has been Surrey’s main ground staff for more than a decade, was put on indefinite leave in July after an altercation with an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) employee at The Oval. The incident took place a day before MI London faced London Spirit in The Hundred at the venue. He also had a heated exchange with Surrey chief executive Steve Elworthy after the incident and did not return to work for the rest of the summer.

Fortis’ LinkedIn profile now suggests he left Surrey in October and is open to work. A Surrey spokesman confirmed his departure to Telegraph Sport, saying: “Lee Fortis has left the club and we wish him well for the future.”

The conclusions of the disciplinary proceedings have not been published. Cricket’s regulator has also reportedly opened an investigation into the July incident, but did not comment when asked by Telegraph Sport. It has not been officially confirmed that Fortis has been released by Surrey.

Fortis previously attracted considerable attention in July 2025 when he clashed with Gambhir ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval. The disagreement arose during India’s training session when the ground staff were unhappy with the team’s use of the main square and handling of equipment near the pitch.

The exchange was caught on camera, with Gambhir visibly confronting Fortis. “You can go and report to whoever you want, but you can’t tell us what to do. You don’t tell us what to do, you’re just the ground staff,” India’s head coach was quoted as saying.

Indian batting coach Sitansha was subsequently criticized by Kotak the way the ground staff interacted with the visiting team and called Fortis arrogant. He said the coaching staff had been asked to maintain a distance of 2.5 meters from the goal while checking the surface.

However, Fortis downplayed the confrontation when approached by the Indian media, saying there was nothing to talk about and nothing to hide.

The 40-year-old joined Surrey in 2012 and has become one of the most recognizable figures in English county cricket. His work at The Oval earned him the ECB Grounds Manager of the Year award for three consecutive years, from 2022 to 2024. Surrey also won the County Championship in each of those seasons.

His departure comes at a significant time for the club, with The Oval scheduled to host the World Test Championship final in June 2027 and the fifth Ashes Test later that summer. Surrey will now have to find a replacement for the groundsman who has overseen its pitches for more than a decade.

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