ICC sanctions Danushka, Mashrafe for misconduct

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Sri Lanka opener Danushka Gunathilaka have been found guilty of breaching Article 2.1.7 in two separate incidents during the tri-series final in Mirpur on Saturday, the ICC said today.

In a statement, it said Mortaza has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee while Gunathilaka has received an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the final of the tri-series.

“Both the players were found to have breached Article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match,” it said.

In addition to this, one demerit point each has been added to the disciplinary records of the two players.

The statement said while this was Gunathilaka’s first offence, Mashrafe has been sanctioned for the second time since the introduction of the revised Code in September 2016.

He had received one demerit point for breaching Article 2.1.7 in the ODI series against England on 10 October 2016. As such, he now has two demerit points against his name.

The incident involving Mashrafe happened in Sri Lanka’s sixth over when the captain ran close to Kusal Mendis after he fell to Mehidy Hasan while yelling loudly and looking directly at the opener in a manner that could have provoked an aggressive reaction.

The incident involving Gunathilaka happened in the sixth over of Bangladesh’s innings when, following the dismissal of Tamim Iqbal, he yelled loudly at the departing batsman which prompted the opener to react by turning to face him.

Both the players admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by David Boon of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Chettithody Shamshuddin and Sharfuddoula, third umpire Bruce Oxenford and fourth umpire Anisur Rahman.

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.