Shafali Verma, an Indian cricketer, has been warned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for her misconduct in T20I against Zimbabwe that took place in Raipur. The 22-year-old player’s punishment comes with one demerit point which she pleads guilty to. This is her first punishment in the last two years.
The incident took place in the 12th over of the innings of Zimbabwe. Shafali Verma dropped the catch of Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano at mid-off that was bowled by Sree Charan. Out of irritation, Verma hurled the ball down on the ground.
Shafali Verma Gets One Demerit Point for Misconduct
The ICC reported that Shafali violated Article 2.2 of its Code of Conduct, which concerns the wrongful use of cricket gear and similar devices during a game. The punishment was imposed by match adjudicator G.S. Lakshmi. Shafali has acknowledged the offence, and has accepted the sanction, thus making the need for a formal session unnecessary.
The complaint was lodged by on-field referees Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, third umpire Anna Harris, and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan. The ICC has also elaborated on the penalties that can be imposed on players breaching the laws of cricket during international matches.
“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,” the official release stated.