Dubai, December 20: Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day’s play in the third Test against the West Indies in Perth.
Watson, thus became the fourth player to have been sanctioned after his teammates Mitchell Johnson, Brad Haddin and West Indies spinner Sulieman Benn, over celebration after dismissing Chris Gayle.
The incident took place in the 15th over of the West Indies’ second innings when the 28-year-old Queenslander, after dismissing Gayle, ran down the wicket screaming manically and aggressively at theWest Indies captain.
Such actions of Watson failed to escape the attention of ICC match referee Chris Broad as the game’s code of conduct states that bowlers must not seek to humiliate a batsman after his dismissal, and umpires Ian Gould and Billy Bowden charged him with bringing the game into disrepute under clause 1.8 of the code, the same offence brought against Johnson, Haddin and Benn.
Having pleaded guilty to the charge, Watson was also handed a fine of 15 per cent of his match fee by Broad.
”Shane is a very energetic and enthusiastic bowler, but on this occasion he has gone too far by running down the wicket screaming, thereby not showing due respect for the opponent,” Broad said in a statement.
”While handing down the punishment, I took into account that Shane admitted his mistake by pleading guilty,” he added.
–Agencies