Harmanpreet Kaur, the esteemed captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, has been suspended from her team’s next two international matches due to her involvement in two distinct breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct during the ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh in Dhaka. This unfortunate incident marks the first time a women’s cricketer has faced disciplinary action for violating the ICC Code of Conduct, and the consequences include fines and demerit points, ultimately leading to her suspension.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) found Kaur guilty of a Level 2 offense under article 2.8 of the Code of Conduct, which pertains to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision.” This violation resulted in a fine of 50 per cent of her match fee and three demerit points being added to her disciplinary record.
Additionally, Kaur was also charged with a Level 1 offense under article 2.7, involving “public criticism in relation to an incident occurring in an international match.” For this transgression, she incurred a 25 per cent fine of her match fee and received another demerit point on her record.
The first incident occurred during the 34th over of India’s innings when Kaur, in a display of dissent, hit the wickets with her bat after being adjudged caught at slip off spinner Nahida Akter. The second violation took place during the presentation ceremony when Kaur publicly criticized the umpiring in the match.
Acknowledging her mistakes, Harmanpreet Kaur admitted to the offenses and accepted the sanctions proposed by Akhtar Ahmed of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees. As a result, a formal hearing was not required.
The penalties for Level 2 breaches range from 50 to 100 per cent of the player’s match fee and three or four demerit points. On the other hand, Level 1 breaches call for a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum fine of 50 per cent of the player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
In Kaur’s case, the accumulation of four demerit points led to her suspension, translating to two suspension points. Two suspension points correspond to a ban from one Test or two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) or two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), whichever comes first for the player or player support personnel. Consequently, Harmanpreet Kaur will be absent from India’s upcoming matches due to her suspension.