In a major setback for the West Indies National Cricket Team, two star players have been punished by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
On Wednesday, December 4, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that West Indies players Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair had been found guilty and were slapped with heavy fines.
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Why Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair were fined by ICC?
West Indies National Cricket Team and Bangladesh National Cricket Team locked horns with each other in the second Test of the two-match series at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica.
During the match, the 23-year-old pacer Jayden Seales made “aggressive gestures towards the Bangladesh dressing room after picking up a wicket.” This was a clear breach 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.”
Due to this act, Jayden Seales has been fined 25 percent of his match fees, and the ICC has added one demerit point to his disciplinary record. Notably, this was the first offense in a 24-month period for the young West Indies star.
The other player to be fined – the 25-year-old spinner Kevin Sinclair – was not part of the team’s playing XI in both the Test matches against Bangladesh National Cricket Team.
He was seen disrespecting the umpires and ignoring their warnings in the second match. The West Indies player used aggressive language at the visiting players despite the warnings, which was a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which relates to “disobeying an Umpire’s instruction during an International Match.”
Kevin Sinclair has been handed a fine of 15 percent of his match fees and no demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record.
Also, both the players admitted their respective offenses and accepted the sanctions proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees and there was no need for a formal hearing.
Test cricket is tough, always want to have fun with it – Jayden Seales
Jayden Seales won the Player of the Series award for West Indies as he was brilliant with the ball across both games. He bagged a total of 10 wickets in the two matches (2/42 & 3/45 and 4/5 & 1/46) and was incredible with his lines and lengths.
Speaking after the match, he said that the longest format of the game is a tough one, but he enjoys the challenge. He elaborated:
“Being able to control my length, cause pressure to the batsman and be as consistent as possible. I was able to achieve that in the England series, then followed that up in the South Africa series and now have achieved that here against Bangladesh as well.
“Test cricket is tough, always want to have fun with it. Any way I can have fun, be it banter and being aggressive. I have always watched Test cricket from a young age and have seen a fast bowler being aggressive and unfazed no matter what. I have drawn inspiration from that.”
West Indies vs Bangladesh Test series ended in a 1-1 draw
The Men In Maroon started off the series against the Tigers with a dominant win at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.
They registered the scores of 450/9d and 152 in two innings while Bangladesh scored 269/9d and 132 as the home team won the match by 201 runs. Justin Greaves was awarded Player of the Match for his sensational performance (115* & 2/34).
Meanwhile, the second Test was held at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica. The visitors bounced back to clinch a 101-run win and level the series.
It was a low-scoring clash as Bangladesh registered scores of 164 and 268 in two innings while West Indies scored 146 and 185. The Player of the Match award was handed to the spinnerTaijul Islam, who had bowling figures of 1/24 & 5/50.