England bowler, Reece Topley, has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first T20I match against West Indies in Barbados on Saturday. Topley was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
Reece Topley handed one demerit point; fined 15% of match fee
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Topley’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. The incident occurred when Topley, while walking up the staircase of the players’ pavilion when England were fielding, took hold of a chair and aggressively hit it against the handrail.
Topley admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Leslie Reifer and Zahid Bassarath, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Deighton Butler levelled the charge.
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.
(With Inputs from Press Release)