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 during the third match of their ICC Women’s Championship series against bangladeshi in Dhaka on Saturday.
Kaur was fined 50 per cent of her match fee and three demerit points added to her disciplinary record for a Tier 2 offense after she was found guilty of violating Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “disagreeing with a referee’s decision”.
Kaur was also fined 25 per cent of her match fee for a Tier 1 offense after she was found guilty of breaching Article 2.7, which relates to “public criticism in relation to an incident occurring at an international match”.
The first incident occurred on the 34th of India’s innings when Kaur smacked the wickets with her bat in a show of dissent after she was ruled caught on the sliding spinner Nahida Akter. The other incident was during the presentation ceremony when Kaur criticized the officiating in the match.
Kaur admitted to the offenses and accepted the sanctions proposed by Akhtar Ahmed of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Officials and as such there was no need for a formal hearing.
Field referees Tanvir Ahmed and Muhammad Kamruzzaman, third referee Moniruzzamman and fourth referee Ali Arman leveled the charges.
Level 2 offenses carry a penalty of between 50 and 100 percent of a player’s match fee and three or four demerit points, while Level 1 offenses carry a minimum penalty of one official caution, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee and one or two demerit points.
Kaur’s four demerit points convert to two suspension points. As two suspension points equates to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first for the player or the player’s support staff, Kaur is suspended from India’s upcoming matches.