ICC suspends Harmanpreet Kaur in strict action after India captain smashes stumps, criticises umpire publicly

ICC suspended Harmanpreet Kaur in a strict action after the Team India captain smashed stumps and criticised the umpire publicly during a match.

Heavily criticised for setting a bad example in the third match of the ICC Women's Championship series against Bangladesh, Harmanpreet Kaur has been penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday for breaching the Code of Conduct. The India captain has been suspended for the next two international matches after she smashed the stumps and took a dig at the match officials. The decision comes as a big blow to the India women, whose next two matches will be at the Asian Games, where the team will now begin its campaign without their leader.

India's Harmanpreet Kaur plays a shot during a match (AFP)

Harmanpreet courted fresh controversy after the star India batter was given out by the umpire in the tied third ODI against Bangladesh on Saturday. She was adjudged leg before wicket off a Nahida Akter delivery, trying to sweep a delivery. Though Harmanpreet protested and claimed that she got a bottom edge, there was no DRS (Decision Review System) available which might have come to the rescue of the Indian batter. Interestingly, there was no DRS available for the entire series between the two women's teams and all three games also did not have a live TV broadcast.

'Pathetic umpiring'

Upset with the match umpire's decision, Harmanpreet shattered the stumps before taking the long way back to the pavilion. Hitting out at the match officials after the encounter, the Indian skipper labelled the match umpiring as "pathetic" and also joked that umpires should join the India and Bangladesh teams in the trophy ceremony. The Indian women's captain was slammed by several luminaries of the game for her 'deplorable' behaviour in the aftermath of the controversy.

Harmanpreet admitted offences and agreed to sanctions

Harmanpreet has been fined 50 percent of her match fee for the Level 2 offence. She has also received three demerit points on her disciplinary record. Found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, the Indian skipper had to part ways with 25 percent of her fee for a Level 1 offence as she took an aim at the match umpires during the Bangladesh series.

ICC international panel match referee Akter Ahmed, who hails from Bangladesh, had pressed the charges against Harmanpreet. Since she admitted the offences, there was no need for a formal hearing. The four demerit points will get converted to two suspension points, thus leading to her missing out the first two matches of the Asian Games that begin September 23.