London, August 4: Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma, has been fined 15 per cent of his match fees and has also been handed over a demerit point, after he was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for players for having violated Article 2.1.7. of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match", according to the ICC.

The incident that attracted the fine and demerit point for Ishant Sharma, happened during the first session's play on Friday, Day 3 of the Test match. Sharma, while celebrating the wicket of English batsman David Malan, went "in close proximity" to the batsman, an act that could have provoked an aggressive reaction from the outgoing batsman, said ICC in its report.

The violation of the code by Ishant Sharma relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.

According to ICC, Ishant Sharma accepted the offence at the end of day's play and accepted the sanction which was proposed by Jeff Crowe, part of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. There was no need of a formal hearing, as Sharma admitted his offence. The charge on the fast bowler was levelled by the on-field umpires, Aleem Dar and Chris Gaffaney and third umpire Marais Erasmus. The fourth umpire for the match was Tim Robinson, who also levelled the charge on Sharma.

Meanwhile, England defeated India by 31 runs in the first test match of the five-test series. India were chasing 194 and were 141/6 when Ben stokes removed Virat Kohli for 51, putting an end to India's chances. Kohli top scored for India in both innings with scores of 149 and 51 in the first and second innings respectively, but other batsmen, especially the top order, just could not rise to the occasion, when needed. Catch India vs England 1st Test match highlights here. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2018 05:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).