Afghanistan national team captain Heshmatullah Shahidi (ANI Photo)
New Delhi: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has received a formal reprimand by the ICC for violating Level One of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third ODI against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.The left-handed batsman was found guilty of breaching Article 2.10.10 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to a batsman causing intentional or avoidable damage on the field.In an official statement, the International Criminal Court confirmed that one demerit point had also been added to Al-Shahidi’s disciplinary record, which is the first crime he committed within a 24-month period.
Shahidi admitted the offense and accepted the penalty proposed by match referee Ranjan Madugale of the ICC’s elite panel, eliminating the need for a formal hearing.
The charge was given by on-field umpires Chris Gavani and Rohan Pandit, along with third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Virender Sharma.The Afghan skipper has already been unceremoniously cautioned twice for running onto the pitch while batting. This was followed by an official caution on the 31st day of Afghanistan’s innings. However, Shahidi again ran down the field in the 40th minute, prompting the umpires to impose a five-run penalty on Afghanistan.
According to the ICC’s regulations, level one violations carry a minimum penalty of a formal reprimand and can attract a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee plus one or two demerit points.
The century went in vain as India completed a 3-0 sweep
Despite the disciplinary setback, Shahidi produced a batting century in the deciding series. He scored 102 runs, his first ODI hundred, but Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs.Prasidh Krishna starred with the ball for India, taking his first five wickets with figures of 5-23.
His early rush dismantled the Afghan system and put the visitors under pressure.India’s response was clinical. Yashavi Jaiswal smashed an unbeaten 110 off 86 deliveries while Rohit Sharma contributed 79, as the hosts cruised to a nine-wicket win with 128 balls. The opening pair added 170 runs, including the five penalties awarded during Afghanistan’s innings.The win completed a comprehensive 3-0 clean sweep and gave India their first ODI series victory under captain Shubman Gill.
Shahidi admits that Afghanistan failed
Looking at the defeat, Shahidi admitted that his team was below their best and admitted that playing in India remains a big challenge.“I think we were not good enough. We have talented players, but facing India in India is difficult. We will learn from this and improve moving forward,” Shahidi said.He also noted that Afghanistan had been away from ODI cricket for eight months before the series and stressed that the team would look to bounce back in their next stint against Ireland under a new coaching setup.
