India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal could face disciplinary action from the International Cricket Council (ICC) following his heated confrontation with Sri Lanka fast bowler Asitha Fernando during the second Test at the SSC in Colombo.
The incident occurred immediately after Fernando dismissed Jaiswal for 45 during the opening session. Fernando gave the Indian batter a fiery send-off, prompting Jaiswal to turn back and confront the pacer.
During the exchange, Jaiswal’s helmet made contact with Fernando’s forehead before Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva intervened and separated the two players.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak acknowledged that the confrontation may have happened in the heat of the moment but said Jaiswal should not have made physical contact with Fernando.
“I don’t think he should have been so close,” Kotak said, adding that emotions can sometimes boil over during a match.
Sri Lanka fast bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk said the matter should be left to match referee Andy Pycroft.
“The verbals are probably an overflow of emotion. I’ll leave that to the match referee to deal with,” he said.
The incident could be examined under Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which covers inappropriate physical contact with another player during an international match.
If the incident is deemed a Level 1 offence, possible sanctions include an official reprimand or a fine of up to 50% of the player’s match fee, as well as one or two demerit points.
Match officials are expected to review the confrontation before deciding whether any disciplinary action is warranted. (Newswire)