ICC reprimands West Indies duo Powell and Rutherford for conduct breaches

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Monday that West Indies cricketers Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford have been handed official reprimands following breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct. The incidents occurred during the second match of the five-game T20I series against India, which took place in Ranchi last Friday.Rovman Powell was found in violation of Article 2.2 of the code, which pertains to the abuse of cricket equipment, clothing, ground fixtures, or fittings during an international match. The infraction took place in the sixth over of the West Indies' innings. According to the official report, Powell struck the ball away with his bat immediately after being dismissed by Indian bowler Mayank Yadav.Sherfane Rutherford was cited for a separate breach under Article 2.8, which covers instances of showing dissent at an umpire's decision. This incident occurred during the 13th over of the same innings. Officials reported that Rutherford reacted aggressively toward the on-field umpire, shouting after a delivery that he felt should have been called a wide was instead ruled a legitimate ball.In addition to the official reprimands, both players have been handed one demerit point each, which has been recorded on their respective disciplinary records. The ICC noted that these are the first offences for both individuals within a 24-month period. Under the current disciplinary guidelines, Level 1 breaches carry a range of penalties, extending from an official reprimand to a fine of up to 50 per cent of a player's match fee, along with one or two demerit points.The charges against the two players were brought forward by the officiating team, which included on-field umpires Jayaraman Madanagopal and Rohan Pandit, third umpire Nitin Menon, and fourth umpire Virender Sharma. Following the charges, both Powell and Rutherford admitted to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Prakash Bhatt, a member of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees. By accepting the proposed penalties, the players bypassed the requirement for formal hearings.The disciplinary action comes amid a closely contested series between the two nations. West Indies successfully executed a record chase in the Ranchi fixture to level the series at the time, bolstered by an unbeaten century from captain Shai Hope. India had secured victory in the series opener held in Lucknow, where Shreyas Iyer scored his maiden T20I century.Following the second match in Ranchi, the series moved to Indore for the third T20I on Sunday. India regained the lead in that encounter, as a rapid 18-ball fifty from Abhishek Sharma and a disciplined bowling effort allowed the hosts to restrict the West Indies to 14 runs short of the 224-run target. With the disciplinary matters now settled, both sides look ahead to the remainder of the series.