Sports

Harmanpreet Kaur Suspended For Two Matches

Indian women’s captain penalized for show of dissent against Bangladesh 

Harmanpreet Kaur.
info_icon

Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian women's cricket captain, has been suspended for the next two international matches due to two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct, the ICC said in a release on Tuesday. 

Kaur was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, relating to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”. 

The incidents occurred during the India vs Bangladesh third women’s One-Day-International in Dhaka on Saturday. The encounter was part of the ICC Women’s Championship series.

In the first incident, Kaur was furious after being given caught at slip by the on-field umpire. She smashed the stumps with her bat, and then had an angry exchange with the umpire. 
Kaur was also fined 50 per cent of her match fee for the Level 2 offence and received three demerit points on her disciplinary record.

Earlier, former India captain Shantha Rangaswamy criticised Kaur's conduct, saying it did not befit the image of an Indian captain.

“Her behaviour was deplorable. If she had stopped after her dismissal (it would still be acceptable to some) but what she did at the presentation (where Kaur continued to show her displeasure) was not good for the game. It was rash and she went overboard," Rangaswamy told PTI.

"She is our best batter no doubt, but to behave like this is not acceptable. An act like that undoes good work done by the boards of respective countries. India is leading a country in the region and it needs the support of other nations.

"Harman went there as a brand ambassador of our country and should have behaved like one," Rangaswamy added.  

At the post match presentation ceremony, Kaur termed the level of umpiring as "pathetic" and sarcastically asked the umpires to be called to join the teams for the trophy ceremony. 

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana, in response, walked away with her team and urged her Indian counterpart to learn some "manners".

Inputs from PTI