Gayle fined 30 per cent match fee, Clarke let off in ICC hearing

New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) West Indies opener Chris Gayle was today fined 30 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team's ICC Champions Trophy one-dayer against Australia in Mumbai.

Australian Michael Clarke, with whom Gayle exchanged words during the match, however, has been found not guilty.

''Gayle was found guilty of a breach of C 1 of the Code, failing to 'conduct play within the spirit of the game' by ICC Match Referee Mike Procter in a hearing in Mumbai on Thursday afternoon,'' the ICC said in a statement.

''Clarke was found not guilty of the same charge in a separate hearing, also in Mumbai on the same afternoon,'' the statement added.

The duo had an animated exchange of words during the match, which Australia lost by 10 runs. The umpires even called West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was standing in for an injured Brian Lara, to restrain Gayle.

''What started off as banter between the two players got out of hand and Chris Gayle went over the top in his reactions,'' Procter said after announcing his decisions.

''We do not want robots on the field and we want to ensure players play with enthusiasm and passion. We saw a great deal of that during an excellent match on Wednesday but there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not and Chris crossed it,'' he added.

The charges against the two players were laid by umpires Mark Benson and Rudi Koertzen as well as third umpire Aleem Dar, and the trio attended both hearings.

The hearing involving Gayle was also attended by West Indies team manager Tony Howard, Sarwan and team advisor Clive Lloyd.

Clarke's hearing was attended by Australia team manager Steve Bernard, coach John Buchanan and captain Ricky Ponting.

All Level one breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player's match fee.

UNI PM AY GC1851