Leeds: Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision during the third Test against England at Headingley, Leeds.
The incident occurred in the 61st over of England’s first innings when Pant questioned the condition of the ball. After the umpires inspected it with a ball gauge and decided not to replace it, Pant, in a display of frustration, threw the ball on the ground. The act was deemed a breach of Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match.”
The ICC confirmed that Pant’s actions constituted a Level 1 offence, the least serious category under the Code of Conduct. As a result, he received an official reprimand and one demerit point was added to his disciplinary record. This is Pant’s first offence in a 24-month period.
The sanction was imposed by Match Referee Richie Richardson, with no formal hearing required as Pant admitted the offence and accepted the penalty proposed by the match officials.
According to ICC regulations, a Level 1 breach carries a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum of a 50% match fee fine, along with one or two demerit points.
Despite the reprimand, Pant had a stellar match performance, becoming only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score centuries in both innings at Leeds. The Test remains finely poised with England set a challenging target and all wickets intact going into the final day.
