ICC penalizes Muhammad Waseem for biased umpiring remark in Nepal
What's the story
UAE cricket captain Muhammad Waseem has been fined 15% of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for saying the umpiring was biased during the second T20I against Nepal in Kirtipur. The penalty was imposed after Waseem openly criticized the decision at the presentation ceremony following UAE's eight-wicket defeat. He was dismissed LBW on the first ball of the match and immediately expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, saying that the ball was swinging down the leg side.
Breach details
Level 1 breach of conduct
Waseem's comments were classified as a Level 1 breach under Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Such breaches can result in an official reprimand, up to 50% of a player's match fee, and one or two demerit points. The charge was leveled by on-field umpires Buddhi Pradhan and Vinay Kumar, third umpire Durga Subedi, and fourth umpire Sanjay Sigdel against the UAE skipper.
Acceptance
No formal hearing required
Waseem accepted the offense and agreed to the punishment proposed by match referee Wendell Labrooy. This negated the need for a formal hearing. The penalty was imposed as this was his first offense in a 24-month period, making it a minor breach of conduct under cricketing regulations.
Information
A look at Waseem's T20I stats
Waseem owns 3,371 T20I runs from 99 matches at 36.24. In addition to three centuries, he has hit 26 fifties. He has smashed 196 sixes and 282 fours. His strike rate is 150.96.