The International cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday slapped a two-match suspension on Indian Women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, following two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third ODI match against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.
The suspension means that she will miss the first two matches of the Asian Games. India’s Women’s Cricket Team’s next campaign will be at the Asian Games in Hanghzou in China between September 23 and October 8.
The 35-year-old Indian was scathing in her criticism of the umpiring decisions made during the match. Following her contentious dismissal, She openly criticized the umpires in her post-match presentation in Mirpur, displaying “unsporting” behavior on the field.
Harmanpreet Kaur was fined 50 per cent of her match fee and three demerit points were added to her disciplinary record for a Level 2 offence after she was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”.
The Indian captain was also fined 25 per cent of her match fee for a Level 1 offence after she was found guilty of breaching article 2.7, which relates to “public criticism in relation to an incident occurring in an international match.”
The first incident occurred in the 34th over of India’s innings when she hit the wickets with her bat in a show of dissent after she was adjudged caught at slip off spinner Nahida Akter. The other incident was during the presentation ceremony when Kaur criticized the umpiring in the match.
Harmanpreet Kaur admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Akhtar Ahmed of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Tanvir Ahmed and Muhammad Kamruzzaman, third umpire Moniruzzamman and fourth umpire Ali Arman leveled the charges.
Level 2 breaches carry a penalty of between 50 and 100 per cent of a player’s match fee and three or four demerit points while 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.
Her four demerit points convert to two suspension points. As two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player or player support personnel, She stands suspended from India’s forthcoming matches.
Interestingly Harmanpreet Kaur had also earned a demerit point during the semi-final of the 2017 ODI World Cup against Australia. In that match she was found guilty of a Level 1 offence, which she had accepted.
According to an ICC release ,When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player .Demerit Points to remain on a Player or Player Support Personnel’s disciplinary record for a period of twenty-four (24) months from their imposition following which they will be expunged.
Former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal, who was a member of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1983, criticized Harmanpreet for her action saying that the way Indian Captain behaved in the last match was very bad.
He also said that she is not bigger than the game. Madan Lal tweeted, “Harmanpreet’s behaviour against the Bangladesh women’s team was pathetic. She is not bigger than the game. She got a very bad name for Indian cricket. BCCI should take very strict disciplinary action.”
