Indian star player Ravindra Jadeja was fined 25 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against Australia in Nagpur on February 11.
The fine was imposed after Jadeja applied cream on his finger for medical purposes without permission from the on-field umpires.
Responding to Australian media allegations, the ICC stated that the cream was applied to the finger purely for medical purposes and did not alter the condition of the ball.
However, the board held that Jadeja had “breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct contrary to the spirit of the game”.
Read also: India thrashed Australia by an innings and 132 runs in the first Test, took a 1-0 lead in the series
“India spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against Australia in Nagpur on Thursday,” the ICC said in a statement.
“In addition, one demerit point has been added to Jadeja’s disciplinary record, for whom this was the first offense in a period of 24 months,” the statement said.
The incident occurred in the 46th over of Australia’s first innings, when Jadeja “applied a soothing cream to a swollen index finger”. The player admitted the offense and accepted the punishment proposed by Andy Pycroft of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
“With the Level 1 ban imposed on the player, the match referee was satisfied that the cream on the finger was applied solely for medical purposes,” the ICC said.
“The cream was not applied to the ball as an artificial substance and did not result in a change in the condition of the ball, which would have been in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC Playing Conditions – Improper play – the match ball – changing its condition ,” it added.
Earlier, Jadeja had taken 7 wickets and scored 70 runs in the innings and 132 runs win against Australia.
As per the details, on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Richard Illingworth, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan leveled the charges against Jadeja.
Also, a Level 1 breach carries 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 PTI inputs.
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