Yuvraj fined for showing dissent at umpire's decision at Jaipur

Jaipur, Nov 19 (UNI) Dashing southpaw Yuvraj Singh has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breach of ICC's Code of Conduct during the final ODI against Pakistan here.

The punishment was handed down by ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama following a hearing after the match.

The charge was laid by on-field umpires Billy Doctrove and Suresh Shastri, as well as third umpire Amiesh Saheba.

Yuvraj stood his ground even though umpire Shastri raised his finger. The batsman appeared to have indicated that the ball hit his shoulder rather than the bat before he started to leave the crease.

At the hearing, Yuvraj pleaded not guilty to the charge and also apologised for any offence he may have caused the umpires.

In reaching his decision, Mahanama took into account not only the apology but also the fact that it was the player's first appearance at a Code of Conduct hearing in eight years at international level.

On that basis his punishment was downgraded to Level 1.3, ''Showing dissent at an umpire's decision'' something he is entitled to do under the Code of Conduct.

Explaining his decision after the hearing, Mahanama said, ''I took into account several factors in downgrading the charge, including the player's previous excellent conduct, his apology at the hearing, the fact it was a spontaneous act out of character with his normal behaviour and that he did not appear to use foul or offensive language.

''However, the fact remains that when the umpire raises his finger a player must leave the crease immediately and without question no matter what he may think of the decision.

''That is one of cricket's most fundamental principles and Yuvraj's failure to adhere to that principle, especially given the message his action sends out to the millions of people watching at the ground and on television, merited some form of action,'' he said.

The hearing was attended by the three umpires, Yuvraj, India team manager Lalchand Rajput and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

UNI