Explained: Why Has ICC Suspended Harmanpreet Kaur for 2 Matches? Can She Appeal?

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for her outburst in the ODI vs Bangladesh.

(Photo: BCCI)

Indian women's cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for two different offences during the third ODI against Bangladesh on Saturday in Dhaka, the culmination of which means she will miss India's next two international matches.

But what did the Indian skipper do? Why has such harsh punishment been handed to her, and can she appeal the suspension?

The Quint explains:

What Has The ICC Said?

International cricket's parent body, the ICC, released a statement late on Tuesday evening announcing their decision to reprimand her for the Level 1 and Level 2 offences, as mentioned in the ICC's Code of Conduct that is followed by all players of the game.

'India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for her team’s next two international matches following two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct,' said the ICC.

Harman was reprimanded for two different incidents, the first of which was for 'showing dissent at an umpire’s decision' and the second was related to 'public criticism in relation to an incident occurring in an international match,' according to the ICC.

What Did Harmanpreet Do?

The Indian skipper had an on-field outburst when given out during the tied third ODI against Bangladesh, that led to the series ending in a 1-1 draw.

While India were chasing Bangladesh's 225/4, the score was at 160/3 in 33.3 overs and the Indian skipper was at the crease, batting on 14. She tried to sweep a Nahida Akter delivery and the ball seemed to instead bounce off her pad and go straight into Fahima Khatun hands at first slip. Nahida appealed and the the umpire raised his finger, leaving Harmanpreet furious. With no DRS used in the series, Harman had to return to the dressing room and she smashed the stumps with her bat on the way, before having a heated chat with the on-field umpires. She was also seen making a 'thumbs up' gesture to the crowd on her way back.

India needed 65 runs from the next 16 overs at this point, but the visitors went onto lose the game.

This incident has earned her the biggest sanction for 'showing dissent at an umpire’s decision', which is a Level 2 offence, earning Harman the fine of 50 per cent of her match fee and three demerit points. 

However, after the game, when she was called onto the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet Kaur continued to express her frustration at the umpiring calling it 'pathetic'.

'Some pathetic umpiring was done and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires," said the Indian skipper.

'I think there's a lot of learning for us from the game. Even apart from the cricket, the kind of umpiring that was happening we were very surprised. The next time when we come to Bangladesh we will make sure we have to deal with this type of umpiring and prepare ourselves accordingly,' she added.

These statements are found to be a Level 1 offence for breach of Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to 'public criticism in relation to an incident occurring in an international match'.

But How Did The Sanctions Add Up to a Suspension?

The ICC follows a 'Demerit Points' system for players found to be in violation of the Game's Code of Conduct, which accumulate against the cricketer's name for the next 24 months, following which they lapse.

While Harmanpreet Kaur didn't have any previous demerit points, the two separate incidents in the Bangladesh ODI earned her a total of four demerit points and according to the ICC rules, 'When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and the player is banned'.

Since her four demerit points were all earned in the 24-month span, the four demerit points were converted to two suspension points which mean a player has to miss one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever come first.

For the Indian team, that will be the upcoming Asian Games that start on 23 September and incidentally, India only have to play from the quarter-final stage onwards due to their high rankings, which means Harman is set to miss the quarter-final, and then the semi-final if India qualify.

Has This Happened in Women's Cricket Before

Since the ICC started publicly sharing the Code of Conduct breaches of international cricketers, Harmanpreet is the first female cricketer to be reprimanded for a Level 2 offence.

All 28 female players reprimanded to date have been found to be in breach of a Level 1 offence and have not been given more than 1 demerit point for a violation.

Harman though has been reprimanded once before, in July of 2017, during the Women's World Cup for 'throwing her bat to the ground' after an attempted run out.

Now What Happens? Can She Appeal? 

'On-field umpires Tanvir Ahmed and Muhammad Kamruzzaman, third umpire Moniruzzamman and fourth umpire Ali Arman levelled the charges,' read the ICC's statement.

'Kaur admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Akhtar Ahmed of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing,' it further added.

Meaning Harman will not be appealing the charges and there will be no review of the ICC's decision.