Sreesanth fined 25 per cent of match fee for ICC Code of Conduct breach

India player Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his side's semi-final against Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 South Africa 2007 at Kingsmead on Saturday.

The India team has also been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate after falling one over short of its requirement when time allowances were taken into consideration.

Sreesanth pleaded guilty to a Level 1 offence in a hearing convened by Emirates Elite Panel ICC Match Referee Chris Broad after play concluded in Durban.

The player accepted he breached clause 1.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to excessive appealing following a delivery he bowled to Matthew Hayden during the fourth over of Australia's innings.

Explaining his decision, Mr Broad said: "When appealing for a decision a player has to realize he only needs to ask the question once and not over and over again, especially after the umpire has already turned down the appeal.

"Sreesanth was out of order and the incident set a poor example for the millions of people watching either at the venue or on television.

"It was a point he accepted by pleading guilty and, given the fact he has already made regular appearances in Code of Conduct hearings over the past 12 months, he can consider himself fortunate not to be facing a heavier punishment.

"One pleasing aspect of the hearing was that the India captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, accepted his role in the conduct of his players and, as such, I am sure he will remind Sreesanth of his responsibilities to himself, his team and the game in future.

"In addition to the fine levied, I also warned Sreesanth about his conduct going forward and if he continues to breach the Code of Conduct he can expect more severe penalties to come his way."

India's slow-over rate saw the team one over short of completing its allocation after time allowances were taken into consideration. That failing saw the players docked five per cent of their match fees with Dhoni, as captain, fined double that amount, a 10 per cent punishment.

Level 1 breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand up to a maximum punishment of 50 per cent of a player's match fee.

A player does not have a right of appeal in the case of Level 1 offences.

The charges were brought by on-field umpires Mark Benson and Asad Rauf, third official Billy Doctrove and Tony Hill, the fourth umpire.

Present at the hearing, in addition to Sreesanth, the four umpires and the match referee were India manager Sunil Dev and captain Dhoni.

Video evidence was available but was not required as the player pleaded guilty to the offence.

The full ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Officials can be found < a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/rules/code-of-conduct-for-players-and-officials.pdf">here:

The ICC World Twenty20 South Africa 2007 involves 27 matches at three venues - Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg - over 14 days with the final between India and Pakistan set to take place in Johannesburg on Monday (24 September).