Shafali Verma Faces ICC Reprimand After Incident in T20I Against Zimbabwe

Shafali Verma's Conduct Under Scrutiny

Dubai: Indian cricketer Shafali Verma has been officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for violating its Code of Conduct during the second Women’s T20I match against Zimbabwe held in Raipur on Sunday.

The incident occurred during the 12th over of Zimbabwe's innings when Shafali dropped a catch off Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano while fielding at mid-off. In her frustration, she threw the ball to the ground, leading to the match officials charging her with a Level 1 offence.

Shafali was found to have violated Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to the misuse of cricket equipment and clothing during international matches.

At just 22 years old, this reprimand marks her first offence within a 24-month timeframe, and she has received one demerit point on her record.

Shafali acknowledged her mistake and accepted the penalty suggested by G.S. Lakshmi from the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, which negated the need for a formal hearing. The charge was brought forth by on-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, along with third umpire Anna Harris and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan.

According to ICC regulations, Level 1 breaches can result in a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum fine of 50% of a player's match fee, along with one or two demerit points.

This disciplinary action follows a stellar performance by Shafali in the same match, where she scored a quickfire 55 runs off just 25 balls, helping India secure a series lead by successfully chasing down Zimbabwe's total of 102/8 in under nine overs.

With India already clinching the series with a 2-0 lead, the teams are set to face off again in the third and final T20I in Raipur on Tuesday, October 20.