Rohit Paudel fined after heated exchange in Premier Cup final

KATHMANDU: Nepal batter Rohit Paudel and United Arab Emirates wicketkeeper Adeeb Usmani have each been fined 15 per cent of their match fees following a heated exchange during the ACC Men’s Premier Cup final in Kuala Lumpur.

The International Cricket Council found both players guilty of breaching Level 1 of its Code of Conduct during Nepal’s 44-run victory over the UAE on Saturday.

Paudel and Adeeb breached Article 2.4, which relates to disobeying an umpire’s instruction during an international match.

The incident took place during the 31st over of Nepal’s innings when the two players became involved in a heated argument. According to the ICC, they failed to follow the instructions of the umpires as the officials attempted to defuse the situation.

UAE fast bowler Khuzaima Tanveer was separately fined 10 per cent of his match fee for breaching Article 2.2, relating to the abuse of cricket equipment, clothing, ground equipment or fixtures.

Khuzaima struck the stumps with his bat after being dismissed during the 46th over of the UAE’s chase.

One demerit point was added to the disciplinary record of each player. The ICC confirmed that none of the three had committed another offence during the preceding 24 months.

All three admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Ali Naqvi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees. Formal hearings were therefore not required.

On-field umpires Kalidas Viswanathan and Tabarak Dar, along with reserve umpire Vinod Babu, levelled the charges.

Level 1 offences can result in an official reprimand, a fine of up to 50 per cent of a player’s match fee and one or two demerit points.

A player who accumulates four or more demerit points within 24 months has those points converted into suspension points. Two suspension points result in a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first.

Nepal scored 313/9 in the final before dismissing the UAE for 269 in 49.1 overs to win their second ACC Men’s Premier Cup title.