NEW DELHI: Captain of Afghanistan Hashmatullah Shahidi was handed an official reprimand by the ICC for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third ODI against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.The left-handed batsman was found guilty of breaching Article 2.10.10 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to a batsman causing deliberate or avoidable damage to the field.In an official statement, the ICC confirmed that a demerit point has also been added to Shahidi’s disciplinary record, marking his first offense in a 24-month period. Shahidi admitted the offense and accepted the sanction proposed by ICC Elite Panel match referee Ranjan Madugalle, removing the need for a formal hearing. The charge was leveled by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit, with third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Virender Sharma.The Afghan skipper had already been officially cautioned twice for running into the field while batting. An official warning followed in the 31st of Afghanistan’s innings. However, Shahidi again fell in the field in the 40th over, prompting the umpires to impose a five-run penalty on Afghanistan.According to ICC regulations, Level 1 violations carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and can attract a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee with one or two demerit points.
The century goes in vain as India complete a 3-0 sweep
Despite the disciplinary setback, Shahidi produced a fighting century in the series decider. He scored 102, his first ODI hundred, but Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs.Prasidh Krishna played with the ball for India, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul with figures of 5-23. His early exploits dismantled the Afghan top order and put the visitors under pressure.India’s response was clinical. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed an unbeaten 110 off 86 deliveries while Rohit Sharma contributed 79 as the hosts cruised to a nine-wicket win with 128 balls to spare. The opening pair added 170 runs, including the five penalty runs awarded during Afghanistan’s innings.The win completed a comprehensive 3-0 clean sweep and gave India their first ODI series triumph under captain Shubman Gill.
Shahidi admits that Afghanistan came up short
Reflecting on the defeat, Shahidi admitted that his team was below their best and acknowledged that playing in India remains a major challenge.“I think we were not good enough. We have talented guys, but playing India in India is tough. We will learn from this and improve going forward,” Shahidi said.
Do you think Afghanistan can bounce back in the upcoming series against Ireland?
He also mentioned that Afghanistan had been away from ODI cricket for eight months before the series and stressed that the team will look to bounce back in their next assignment against Ireland under a new coaching setup.
