Bangladesh and India players were penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after they clashed at the Under-19 World Cup final in Potchefstroom
Dubai: Five players have been found guilty of a Level 3 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Support Personnel following the final of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Potchefstroom in South Africa on Sunday (February 9).
India and Bangladesh players clashed on the field after the final in Potchefstroom in South Africa. Bangladesh won the trophy. Ugly scenes were witnessed and Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali apologised for his team’s behaviour.
Also read: India captain slams Bangladesh's 'dirty' reaction
Three Bangladeshi players, Md Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan and two Indian players, Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi were charged with violating Article 2.21 of the code, whilst Bishnoi received a further charge of breaching Article 2.5.
All five players have accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Graeme Labrooy.
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Based on the actions of the individuals, the details of the charges and associated sanctions are as follows:
Bangladesh’s Md Towhid Hridoy accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of ten suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.
Bangladesh’s Shamim Hossain accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of eight suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.
Bangladesh’s Rakibul Hasan accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of four suspension points, which equates to five demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.
India’s Akash Singh accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of eight suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.
India’s Ravi Bishnoi accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 has received a sanction of five suspension points, which equates to five demerit points.
Bishnoi also accepted a level 1 charge of breaching Article 2.5 for a separate incident during the match, where he used language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter following the dismissal of Avishek Das in the 23rd over. For this he received a further two demerit points meaning seven demerit points will remain on his record for the next two years.
All charges were levelled by on-field umpires Sam Nogajski and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Ravindra Wimalasiri as well as fourth umpire Patrick Bongni Jele.
Level 3 breaches carry a minimum penalty of 4 suspension points and a maximum penalty of 12 suspension points.
Geoff Allardice, ICC general manager cricket, said, “The match was hard fought, as you would expect in an ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Final, but the elation and disappointment experienced by some players after the game spilled over into unedifying scenes that have no place in our sport. Respect is at the very heart of the spirit of cricket, and players are expected to show self-discipline, congratulate the opposition on their successes and enjoy the success of their own team.
“It is disappointing that Code of Conduct charges needed to be laid after such a closely contested match, but it is important to reinforce the standard of behaviour that will be expected of these young players should they transition to senior international cricket.”
The suspension points will be applied to the forthcoming international matches the players are most likely to participate in at either senior or U19 level. One suspension point equals a player being ineligible for one ODI or T20I, U19 or A team international match.
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