KATHMANDU: In a recent ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup match held in East London on 24 January, Nepal U19 bowler Subhash Bhandari has been found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The incident occurred at the end of the 14th over of Pakistan’s innings when Bhandari threw the ball inappropriately towards batter Shahzaib Khan, hitting him on the forearm.

Bhandari was found to have violated Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to “throwing a ball at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an international match.”

As a consequence, one demerit point has been added to Bhandari’s disciplinary record, marking his first offence within a 24-month period.

The on-field umpires, Phil Gillespie and Bongani Jele, along with TV umpire Forster Mutizwa and fourth umpire K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan, were responsible for leveling the charge against Bhandari.

However, a formal hearing was not required as Bhandari admitted the offence and accepted the proposed sanction by Graeme Labrooy of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Match Referees.

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

It is noteworthy that when a player accumulates four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points, potentially resulting in a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, depending on what comes first for the player.

Demerit points will remain on a player’s disciplinary record for a period of twenty-four months from their imposition, following which they will be expunged.

This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding sportsmanship and abiding by the established codes of conduct in international cricket.