NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Kyle Mills and Daniel Vettori and South African Faf du Plessis have been heavily fined for an altercation during Friday’s World Cup quarter-final in Dhaka, the ICC said today.
Mills has been fined 120 percent of his match fee for “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players” and for conduct that is “contrary to the spirit of the game”.
His captain Vettori has been fined 90 percent match fee for the deliberate physical contact with a player and for bringing the game into disrepute.
Du Plessis has been fined 50 percent of his match fee for his involvement in the heated exchange with the Kiwi players, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.
After the 28th over of the South African innings, du Plessis had a heated exchange with some of the New Zealand players following the fall of a wicket.
Mills, who was not in the playing XI for New Zealand, was on the field carrying drinks.
“It was a very important time of a crucial match for both sides but there is never any excuse for deliberate physical contact in international cricket,” match referee Roshan Mahanama was quoted as saying in the statement.
“”Vettori and Mills continued to act inappropriately and contrary to the spirit of the game throughout, hence the second charges were laid against them.
“In determining the punishment I have taken into consideration the fact that none of these players have previously been involved in similar breaches of the code.”
While Vettori and du Plessis accepted the sanctions, Mills pleaded not guilty to the charges. A full hearing was conducted by Mahanama in the presence of the four umpires, Mills and the New Zealand team manager.
Mills was found guilty after Mahanama heard oral submissions from the player and the match officials and considered video evidence of the incident.
New Zealand stunned South Africa by 49 runs to reach the semi-final.
