Indian bowler Khaleel Ahmed has been pulled up by the ICC and given an official warning along with one demerit point for being found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during Monday’s fourth ODI against the Windies.
Ahmed had returned with figures of 3/13 as India won the match by 224 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five match series.
The India fast bowler was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the Code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.
The incident occured in the 14th over, when the left-armer, after having Marlon Samuels caught in the slips by Rohit Sharma, advanced aggressively towards the departing batter, which, in the view of the on-field umpires, could have provoked a reaction from the Windies player.
After the match, Ahmed admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Ian Gould and Anil Chaudhary, third umpire Paul Wilson, as well as fourth umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
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