India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, who dazzled with the bat at Headingley with two centuries in the ongoing Test, was officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday ahead of Day 5. The action comes in response to Pant’s on-field conduct during England’s first innings.
According to the ICC, the 27-year-old breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match.” He was also handed one demerit point for the offence.
Ball dispute leads to incident
The incident took place during the 61st over of England’s innings when Harry Brook and Ben Stokes were at the crease. Pant engaged in a discussion with the umpires over the condition of the ball.
According to the ICC statement, “When the umpires refused to change the ball after checking it with the ball gauge, the wicket-keeper showed his dissent by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires.”
Pant admits offence
The charges were brought forward by the on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Mike Burns. Match referee Richie Richardson reviewed the complaint and no disciplinary hearing was conducted as Pant accepted the sanction.
Level 1 offences under the ICC Code carry a minimum punishment of an official reprimand and can extend to a 50% match fee fine along with one or two demerit points.
Despite the disciplinary action, Pant’s performance in the Test has been historic. With a total of 252 runs across both innings, including two centuries, he has registered the highest aggregate by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test match. He also became just the second wicket-keeper in Test history to score two centuries in the same match.
The Headingley Test is now set for a dramatic conclusion. After a counter-attacking partnership between Pant and KL Rahul on Day 4, England set a record 350-run target for victory on the final day.