India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during the Headingley Test match against England. The incident occurred during England’s first innings when Pant violated Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, leading to a demerit point being added to his disciplinary record.The specific incident took place in the 61st over of England’s innings when Harry Brook and Ben Stokes were at the crease. Pant engaged in a discussion with the umpires regarding the condition of the ball, and when the officials refused to change the ball after checking it with the ball gauge, he expressed his disagreement by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The charges were brought forward by the match officials, including on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and fourth umpire Mike Burns. This marks Pant’s first offence in a 24-month period.
The matter was resolved without requiring a disciplinary hearing as Pant admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson, who serves on the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.Under the ICC’s disciplinary guidelines, Level 1 breaches carry specific penalties. These include a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and can extend to a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, along with one or two demerit points.Prior to this incident, Pant had delivered an outstanding batting performance in the Headingley Test, scoring two centuries across both innings, demonstrating his significant contribution to the match despite the disciplinary issue.The match situation at Leeds remains competitive, with England needing 350 runs to win on the final day of play, with all their wickets intact. This sets up an intriguing conclusion to the Test match, with both teams still in contention for victory.
