India fast bowler Gurnoor Brar has landed in trouble with the International Cricket Council (ICC) following his aggressive on-field exchange with England opener Ben Duckett during the first ODI at Edgbaston.
The ICC on Wednesday confirmed that Brar had breached Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct and issued him an official warning along with one demerit point. There’s no fine given, however. The Level 1 offence comes in when throwing the ball at or near a player in an inappropriate or dangerous manner during an international match.
ICC takes action after heated moment
The incident occurred in the eighth over of England’s innings when Duckett was taking the attack to the young pacer. After Jasprit Bumrah gave literally nothing in his opening spell, the English openers had to attack Brar. Having already struck Brar for a boundary and a six in the over, Duckett defended a delivery back towards the bowler. Brar picked up the ball and fired it back in the batter’s direction towards the stumps.
While the ball did not hit Duckett, the moment was feisty enough to attract some tension. The England opener was unfazed and responded with a smile, but the exchange added a bit of spice to the contest.
According to the ICC, Brar admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Richie Richardson, which eliminated the need for a formal hearing. The charge was brought forward by on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Mike Burns, along with third umpire Sam Nogajski and fourth official Russell Warren.
Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct covers incidents involving players throwing a ball at or near another player in an inappropriate or dangerous manner. Level 1 offences can attract anything from an official reprimand to a fine of up to 50 percent of a player’s match fee, along with one or two demerit points.
For Brar, this is his first offence in a 24-month period. This means he would get just a warning as of now along with one demerit point.
Interestingly, the pacer had the last laugh in his battle with Duckett. After being put under pressure early, Brar struck back in the 13th over when he removed the England opener for 43. Shubman Gill changed the bowling ends and Brar sent back both Jacob Bethell and Duckett in the same over. Jasprit Bumrah completed an excellent catch near the boundary rope, and Brar celebrated enthusiastically in front of the departing batter. Videos of the send-off quickly spread across social media.
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