Windies player Shannon Gabriel charged by ICC over homophobic slur
The third Test between West Indies and England in St Lucia was marred by a controversy after fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was accused of passing homophobic slurs. The player has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for using improper language during an exchange with England skipper Joe Root. The interaction was picked up by the stump microphones. Here's more about the incident.
According to a report in Sky Sports, England captain Root was heard replying to the fast bowler, "Don't use it as an insult. There's nothing wrong with being gay." On-field umpires Rod Tucker and Kumar Dharmasena had a word with Gabriel afterwards and he was charged with breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC's Code of Conduct.
Shannon Gabriel has been charged with a breach Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct. The charge, which was laid by match umpires, will now be dealt with by Match Referee Jeff Crowe. Until the proceedings have concluded, the ICC will not comment further. @ICC
— ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) February 12, 2019
Root declined to comment about the verbal altercation. He was asked about the incident on Tuesday, after England won the final Test and according to The Guardian, Root said, "As a player you feel you have responsibilities to uphold on the field and I stand by what I did. The ICC have to handle things and I am not in a position to comment."
England defeated West Indies by 232 runs in the third Test. Root feels that the win will give them confidence going into the Ashes. In the match, England scored 277 and 361/5d, whereas, Windies were bundled for 154 and 252.
