3 Bangladesh, two India players penalised by ICC
Post-match altercation in final
SPORTS REPORTER, Dhaka
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed international suspensions to five players including three of Bangladesh and two of India after a post-match altercation following the ICC Under-19 World Cup final.
After the match, players from both teams were seen to be involved in an exchange of words with some pushing and shoving on the field.
The Bangladesh players who were found guilty of breaching ICCs Code of Conduct were all-rounder Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain Patwary and Rakibul Hasan, who smacked the winning win. They were all given six demerit points.
On the other hand, Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi of Indian players were all handed five demerit points for the post-match incidents. Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi were charged with violating Article 2.21 of the code, whilst Bishnoi received a further charge of breaching Article 2.5.
All five players have accepted the sanctions proposed by ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Match Referee Graeme Labrooy, as told in the ICC statement.
Bishnoi, the tournaments leading wicket-taker, was handed a further two demerit points for using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter after dismissing Avishek Das.
Towhid Hridoy received a sanction of ten suspension points which equates to six demerit points. Hossain and Singh received a sanction of eight suspension points that equates to six demerit points whereas Hasan received four suspension points that equates to five demerit points.
Bishnoi was handed a total of seven demerit points: five for breaching Article 2.21 and another two for the manner in which he celebrated the dismissal of Avishek Das in the 23rd over of the Bangladesh innings, which breached Article 2.5.
The demerit points will be applied to the forthcoming international matches the players are most likely to participate in at either senior or Under-19 level for a period of two years.
As per ICCs statement, all charges were levelled by on-field umpires Sam Nogajski and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Ravindra Wimalasiri as well as fourth umpire Patrick Bongni Jele.
Its disappointing that Code of Conduct charges needed to be laid after such a closely contested match, but it is important to reinforce the standard of behavior that will be expected of these young players should they transition to senior international cricket, said Geoff Allardice, ICC General Manager Cricket.
The match was hard fought, as you would expect in an ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Final, but the elation and disappointment experienced by some players after the game spilled over into unedifying scenes that have no place in our sport, Allardice told.
Respect is at the very heart of the spirit of cricket, and players are expected to show self-discipline, congratulate the opposition on their successes and enjoy the success of their own team, he added.
In addition, Bangladesh clinched their maiden global trophy thrashing defending champions India with a three-wicket victory in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Sunday.
