Delhi: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has been found guilty of violating the ICC Code of Conduct during the third ODI match against India. This match was played on Saturday, i.e. 20th June in Chennai. Taking action under Level-1, Shahidi was officially reprimanded and one demerit point was also added.

Inappropriate behavior on the pitch during the match

According to the ICC report, Hashmatullah Shahidi was found guilty of breaching Article 2.10.10, which deals with intentional or unintentional damage to the pitch by a batsman.

This is his first disciplinary case in the last 24 months.

He was unofficially cautioned twice during the match for running into the protected area while batting. Despite this, he did not take precautions, after which he was given a formal warning in the 31st over.

Afghanistan fined for repeated mistake

Despite getting a warning in the 31st over, Shahidi repeated the same mistake in the 40th over.

As a result, the umpires imposed a penalty of five runs on the Afghanistan team. This action was taken to show strictness regarding the protection of the pitch as per the rules.

Captain admitted his mistake

In the end, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted his mistake and accepted the punishment proposed by match referee Ranjan Madugalle without any objection. The ICC has also settled the matter considering it a Level-1 violation.

It is noteworthy that this case of Hashmatullah Shahidi shows how strict the ICC is regarding the safety of the pitch in modern cricket.

Such a mistake was not expected from the captain, especially after repeated warnings. However, accepting mistakes is a positive aspect, which also conveys the message of discipline and responsibility to the team.