Shaheen Afridi, the Pakistan left-arm pacer, has been fined 15 percent of his match fee for breaching the players’ code of conduct during the second T20I against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday, UNB reports.
The pacer was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match.”
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Afridi, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the third over of Bangladesh’s innings, when having been hit for 6 off the previous delivery Afridi fielded a ball played back towards him by Afif in his follow through, and quickly turned and threw it at the batsman's end, hitting Afif flush in an unprotected part of the back of his leg.
Afif had not even stepped out of the crease momentarily during that play, and was certainly not intending to take a run.
Afridi admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Neeyamur Rashid of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees and ratified by the ICC Cricket Operations department as per the COVID-19 interim playing regulations. There was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Gazi Sohel and Sohail Tanveer, third umpire Masudur Rahman and fourth official Sharfudoulla Ibne Shahid levelled the charges.
Pakistan have already wrapped up the series with one match to play on Monday. While the tourists are eying to register a whitewash, the hosts are eager to avoid it. The match will begin at 2pm Bangladesh time at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
