DUBAI: Australian captain Ricky Ponting was on Tuesday fined 100 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpiring decision during the DLF Cup tri-series match against West Indies in Kuala Lumpur, the International Cricket Council said.
At a hearing after the match on Tuesday, Match Referee Chris Broad, former England Test cricketer, found Ponting guilty of having breached level 1.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for 'showing dissent at an umpire's decision by action or verbal abuse,' an ICC release said.
The charge against Ponting was that he questioned Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf's calling wide a ball in the 33rd over of the West Indies innings. Ponting pleaded guilty to the charge at the subsequent hearing.
This was Ponting's second breach of the code of conduct in the last 12 months -- the other one took place during the second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April – and his punishment was automatically raised to a level 2 offence.
The charge was brought by on-field umpires Rauf and Tony Hill and third umpire Mark Benson.
"A captain should set the example for his players to follow and it is not acceptable for any player, let alone a captain, to question an umpire's decision," said Broad.
All level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a fine of 50 per cent of match fee and a maximum penalty of their full match fee and/or a one Test match or two ODIs ban.
Broad drew his conclusion after a hearing the three umpires, Ponting and Australia team manager Steve Bernard and coach John Buchanan.
Ponting does have a right of appeal against the decision that must be lodged in writing with the ICC Legal Counsel within 24 hours of the decision.
