India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against England, where the hosts suffered a forgettable 28-run loss at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He has been given an official reprimand for his offense, which occurred on the fourth day of the opening Test match of the five-game series.
The incident happened in the 81st over of England’s second innings when Bumrah had deliberately stepped in the way of Ollie Pope as the batter had taken off for a single, leading to inappropriate physical contact.
The India star, who picked six wickets in Hyderabad Test match, was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match.”
However, the fast bowler was not fined by the ICC as it was his first offence in 24 months, but one demerit point has been added to his record. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Marais Erasmus and fourth umpire Rohan Pandit.
The minimum penalty for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct is an official reprimand and the maximum is 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. Bumrah’s offense required no formal hearing as the 30-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence and has accepted the sanction levied upon him by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
