SL vs BAN, T20 WC: Lahiru Kumara & Liton Das fined for breaching ICC Code of Conduct

Sri Lanka on Sunday defeated Bangladesh at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium by 5 wickets and started their Super 12 stage with a winning note. During the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup match, speedster Lahiru Kumara and batter Liton Das were involved in a heated verbal exchange. Now, Sri Lankan bowler Lahiru Kumara and Bangladesh batter Liton Das both have been fined for breaching level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

As per ANI,  Lahiru Kumara was found guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "Using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match."

On the other hand, Liton Das was found guilty of breaching Article 2.20 of the ICC code of conduct  for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "Conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game."

Kumara was fined 25 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point while Das was fined 15 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point.

Javagal Srinath of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanctions, which were ratified by the ICC Cricket Operations department as per the COVID-19 interim playing regulations. Kumara and Das both pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for a formal hearing. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Rod Tucker.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of a fine of 50 percent of a player's match fee, and one or two demerit points. 

Lahiru Kumara and Liton Das's fight

The incident occurred in the fifth over after the dismissal of batter Litton Das in the Bangladesh innings. After he dismissed the batter Das, Lahiru Kumara walked towards him using actions and words which provoked an aggressive reaction from the batter. Lahiru Kumara-Latin Das's fight sparked after the Bangladesh batter tried to play straight drive when Lahiru Kumara was bowling, however, the ball went straight to him and in order to push back the batter into his crease, Lahiru angrily threw the ball which marginally missed the batter hitting his helmet.

After a few overs, Litton Das tried to attack Lahiru Kumara, however hit straight to mid-off losing his wicket after scoring 16 runs. Following his dismissal, few words were exchanged between Liton and Lahiru. Both the batter and bowler came in close proximity while another opener Mohammad Naim was seen pushing the bowler away. Soon, the Sri Lankan team members and umpires arrived and stopped the arguments between the players. 

(Image: AP)