Correspondent, 20 October: Indian women's cricket team opener Shafali Verma has been issued an official reprimand for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct. The incident occurred on Sunday during the second T20 International match against Zimbabwe. Following this disciplinary action, the Indian team is likely to exercise greater caution in their upcoming match.
The breach took place during the 12th over of the Zimbabwean innings. Stationed at mid-off, Verma dropped a catch from Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off the bowling of Sree Charani. Frustrated by the missed opportunity, Verma angrily threw the ball to the ground. Her actions were ruled as a violation of Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to the inappropriate handling of cricket equipment, clothing, or ground fixtures during an international game.
For this Level 1 offense, Verma was handed an official reprimand, and one demerit point was added to her disciplinary record. This marks her first offense within the past 24-month period. She admitted to the violation and accepted the sanction proposed by ICC International Match Referee G. S. Lakshmi, eliminating the need for a formal hearing. The charge was formally leveled by on-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayatri Venugopalan, alongside third umpire Anna Harris and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan.
Under ICC regulations, a Level 1 breach carries a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum fine of 50 percent of a player's match fee, along with one or two demerit points. If a player accumulates four or more demerit points within a 24-month timeframe, they are converted into suspension points, potentially leading to a ban. Earning two suspension points results in a ban from one Test, two One Day Internationals, or two T20 Internationals, depending on which match format comes first. These demerit points remain on a player's record for 24 months from the date of issue before being expunged.
