Shafali Verma reprimanded by ICC for violating code of conduct
What's the story
Indian opener Shafali Verma has been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching its Code of Conduct during the second Women's T20I against Zimbabwe. The incident took place on Sunday, when India won the series with a game to spare. Shafali was penalized with a demerit point for throwing the ball onto the ground after dropping a catch.
Code breach
What was the exact incident?
The incident in question occurred during the 12th over of Zimbabwe's innings.
Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano hit a delivery from Shree Charani toward mid-off, where Shafali was stationed.
She failed to catch the ball, which then hit her jaw. In frustration, she threw it onto the ground.
This act was deemed a breach of Article 2.2 of ICC's Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, relating to "abuse of cricket equipment or clothing."
Sanction acceptance
Shafali accepts punishment
Shafali accepted the punishment handed by match referee GS Lakshmi, eliminating the need for a formal hearing.
The demerit point is her first offense in a 24-month period.
Despite this incident, Shafali had an impressive performance with the bat in the same match, scoring an unbeaten 55 off just 25 balls as India chased down a target of 103 runs within nine overs.
Stats
Verma's stellar run in 2026
Verma has been in phenomenal form this year, scoring a total of 922 runs in 26 WT20Is at an average of 38.41, as per Cricinfo.
No other batter has scored 900 runs in a year.
Overall, the batter has raced to 3,384 runs from 121 WT20Is at an average of 30.21 (SR: 141.88). This includes 23 scores of 50 or more (100: 1).