England captain keeps selection doors open ahead of T20 World Cup
The English summer begins with the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy on Saturday, giving domestic players the chance to play themselves into the plans for the T20 World Cup squad.
In a recent development, stylish England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler was fined 15 per cent of his match fee on Thursday by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his abusive rant targeted at South African star Vernon Philander during the second Test match at Newlands.
Buttler’s abusive rant was caught on the stump mic while he was keeping wickets during the second innings of the South African team in Cape Town.
Other than the fine, the 29-year-old will moreover be handed a demerit point for violating the ICC disciplinary code, his first such offence. Notably, players can be suspended if they reach four demerit points in a two-year cycle.
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“Buttler was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘use of an audible obscenity during an international match’ following an incident with South Africa all-rounder Vernon Philander,” an ICC statement clarified as quoted by PTI via AFP.
“Buttler admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing,” the statement added.
England eventually won the match by 189 runs on the fifth day to level the four-match Test series 1-1.
The next test is scheduled to begin from 16 January at Port Elizabeth.
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