Hashmatullah Shahidi reprimanded by ICC despite century in ODI series finale against India

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi landed in disciplinary trouble despite producing a valiant century in the third and final ODI against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The left-handed batter has been officially reprimanded by the ICC for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the series decider. Shahidi was found guilty of violating Article 2.10.10 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to a batter causing deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch.

In addition to the reprimand, one demerit point has been added to Shahidi’s disciplinary record. It is his first offence within a 24-month period.

During Afghanistan’s innings, Shahidi was warned on multiple occasions for running on the protected area of the pitch. The Afghan captain initially received two unofficial warnings from the umpires before being handed an official warning in the 31st over.

However, the batter repeated the offence in the 40th over, prompting the match officials to impose a five-run penalty on Afghanistan. His actions were deemed avoidable and in violation of the playing conditions designed to protect the surface.

Shahidi later accepted responsibility for the offence and agreed to the sanction proposed by ICC Elite Panel match referee Ranjan Madugalle, eliminating the need for a formal hearing. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit, along with third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Virender Sharma.

“Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points,” the ICC stated in an official release.

While Shahidi impressed with a fighting century in the final ODI, his efforts were not enough to prevent Afghanistan from suffering a series whitewash.

India completed a dominant 3-0 sweep after cruising to a nine-wicket victory in Chennai. Yashasvi Jaiswal starred with a magnificent century, while Rohit Sharma chipped in with a fluent 79-run knock as the hosts comfortably chased down the target. 

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