ICC Punishes Bangladesh Players For Showing Aggression

Jay Shah [Source: AFP]

In a significant development, Bangladesh women's star players, Nahida Akter and Sharmin Sultana, have been fined 10% of their match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in the second ODI of Bangladesh’s ICC Women’s Championship series against Sri Lanka.

It is important to note that the first ODI was played on Monday, 20 April, and Bangladesh Women won the game by 3 wickets. In the second ODI, Sri Lanka Women bounced back in style and won the game by 4 wickets.

What happened in the second ODI between BAN-W vs SL-W?

Batting first, Bangladesh got off to a poor start, losing two wickets early. Nigar Sultana and Sarmin Sultana then steadied the innings with a 46-run partnership. Sarmin scored 25 off 39 balls, while Nigar anchored the innings with a solid 58 off 101 balls with a strike-rate of 57.43.

However, the rest of the batting lineup could not provide enough support, and Bangladesh were bowled out for 165. Sri Lanka’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout, picking up regular wickets.

Also Read: Bangladesh ODI Squad For Sri Lanka Announced, Tamim Iqbal Brings Back Legend After 7 Years

In reply, Sri Lanka also lost an early wicket but recovered through Chamari Athapaththu’s innings of 40 runs off 39 balls. After her dismissal, Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hansima Karunaratne played crucial roles, scoring 50 and 40 runs respectively.

Their partnership helped Sri Lanka get close to the target. Despite losing a few wickets towards the end, the team chased down the total and secured an important win.

ICC punishes Bangladesh players for Showing Aggression

After the match between BAN-W vs SL-W, the ICC took action against Nahida Akter and Sharmin Sultana for breaching Level 1 of the Code of Conduct. Both players were fined 10 per cent of their match fees.

In addition to the financial penalty, each player has also received one demerit point on their disciplinary record. This marks the first offence for both Nahida and Sarmin in the past 24 months.

Why did ICC punish the Bangladesh Star players?

Nahida Akter was found in violation of Article 2.5, which relates to using gestures or actions that could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter after dismissal. 

During the match, Nahida gave a send-off to Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu by pointing towards the pavilion after dismissing her.

On the other hand, Sharmin Sultan breached Article 2.8, which concerns showing dissent at an umpire's decision. After being given out LBW,  Sharmin Sultan displayed visible frustration by pointing at her bat and delaying her departure from the field.

"Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match," Sarmin was found guilty of breaching Article 2.8, which relates to "showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match."

Both players admitted their mistakes and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Supriya Rani Das, avoiding the need for a formal hearing.

It is vital to note that the Bangladesh is currently playing against Sri Lanka in the 3rd ODI.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Shames Shubman Gill's Teammate, Then Slams Devdutt Padikkal