South Africa player Heinrich Klaasen has been fined 15 percent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second ODI against Pakistan in Cape Town. The incident took place during the second ODI on Thursday, 19 December between South Africa and Pakistan. Klaasen was a standout performer with the bat for the hosts, scoring a valiant 97 off 74 balls as South Africa faced a challenging chase of 330.

Klaasen batted right till the end and was the last wicket to fall in the 43rd over but with little support at the other end, the Proteas fell 81 runs short.A frustrated Klaasen kicked the stumps upon his dismissal, leading to sanctions by Match Referee Richie Richardson. The player was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.

”In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Klaasen’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. Klaasen admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Alex Wharf and Lubabalo Gcuma, third umpire Nitin Menon, and fourth umpire Allahuddien Palekar levelled the charge. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)