Shafali Verma, the Indian opening batter, on Tuesday was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching the Code of Conduct during the 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe in Raipur. The 22-year-old was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. She breached Article 2.2 of the Code of Conduct rule book 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.”
Moreover, one demerit point was also added to her disciplinary record, which was her first offence in the 24-month period.
The incident happened in the 12th over of Zimbabwe's batting innings when Verma threw the ball onto the ground in frustration after dropping Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano at mid-off off Sree Charani’s bowling.
Shafali accepted the sanction levelled by G.S. Lakshmi, the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing. The charge was brought upon by on-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, third umpire Anna Harris, and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan.
“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.
How has Shafali performed?
In the ongoing series against Zimbabwe, Shafali has returned with scores of 4 and 55. She was in remarkable form earlier this year in the Women's T20 Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
{{/usCountry}}In the ongoing series against Zimbabwe, Shafali has returned with scores of 4 and 55. She was in remarkable form earlier this year in the Women's T20 Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
{{/usCountry}}Shafali also hit a century in the Asian Games semi-final against Bangladesh, becoming the first batter to hit a ton in the continental tournament.
The series against Zimbabwe marks Smriti Mandhana's first assignment as the full-time captain, and India have already gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series, with the final match set to be played on Tuesday.