The International Cricket Council (ICC) chastised Indian opening batsman Shafali Verma on Tuesday for violating the Code of Conduct during the second Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe in Raipur. The 22-year-old was convicted of violating the ICC Code of Conduct’s Level 1. She violated “abuse of cricket equipment or clothes, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match” (Article 2.2 of the Code of Conduct rulebook for Players and Player Support Personnel).
It was determined that the 22-year-old captain of India T20I had violated Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Verma flung the ball into the ground in disgust after dropping Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano at mid-off off Sree Charani’s bowling in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings.
Match referee G.S. Lakshmi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees proposed the punishment, which Verma accepted after admitting the offence. There was no need for a formal hearing because she agreed to the charge. India won the game by a margin of nine wickets.
There was no need for a formal hearing because Shafali accepted the penalty imposed by G.S. Lakshmi, the ICC International Panel of Match Referees. On-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, third umpire Anna Harris, and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan initiated the charge.
The official release said, “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.”
On-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, as well as third umpire Anna Harris and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan, brought the accusation against Verma. After examining the incident, match referee G.S. Lakshmi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees suggested the punishment.
The case was settled without a formal hearing as Verma acknowledged the offence and agreed to the suggested punishment. The one demerit point that is currently on her record will remain until October 2028, at which point it will be automatically wiped if there are no other violations during that 24-month period.
