LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined Pakistan players, including Shaheen Afridi and Saud Shakeel, for breaching its Code of Conduct during the PAK vs SA game in the tri-nation series.
Shaheen Afridi, the left-arm pacer, was fined 25% of his match fee for deliberately obstructing South Africa’s batter Matthew Breetzke during the game in Karachi. The ICC cited a breach of Article 2.12 of the Code, which pertains to "inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match." The incident took place in the 28th over when Afridi collided with Breetzke while the batter ran a single. This led to a heated exchange between the two players, requiring the on-field umpire to step in and diffuse the situation.
In addition to Afridi, players Saud Shakeel and substitute fielder Kamran Ghulam were also penalized for breaching Article 2.5 of the Code, which involves "using language, actions or gestures that could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon their dismissal." Both Shakeel and Ghulam were fined 10% of their match fees.
All three players were handed one demerit point each on their disciplinary records.
Despite these penalties, Pakistan progressed to the tri-nation series final after defeating South Africa by six wickets, with Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha scoring centuries in the high-scoring game.
