Athapaththu fined for breaching ICC Code of Conduct in tri-series match against SA

IANS May 12, 2025 189 views

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu faced disciplinary action after breaking her sunglasses during an intense match against South Africa. The incident occurred in the 32nd over, leading to a 10% match fee fine and a demerit point. Athapaththu quickly admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the ICC Match Referee. Despite the incident, Sri Lanka competed in the Tri-Series final against India, ultimately losing the tournament.

"After being hit for a four, Athapaththu smashed her sunglasses to the ground" - Match Report
Dubai, May 12: Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu has been fined 10 per cent of her match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the Women's Tri-series match against South Africa in Colombo on Friday.

Key Points

1

Athapaththu fined 10% of match fee

2

One demerit point added to disciplinary record

3

Incident occurred during SA innings

4

Admitted offence without formal hearing

Athapaththu was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match".

In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Athapaththu's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.

The incident occurred in the 32nd over of South Africa's innings, when after being hit for a four by Annerie Dercksen, Athapaththu took off her sunglasses and smashed them to the ground, breaking them into several pieces.

Athapaththu admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Michelle Pereira of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Anna Harris and Dedunu de Silva, third umpire Lyndon Hannibal and fourth umpire Nimali Perera levelled the charge.

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.

Sri Lanka won the match by 76 runs to book a Tri-Series final against India on Sunday.

In the summit clash, India outclassed Sri Lanka by 97 runs to claim the title after posting the highest women's ODI score (342/7) in Sri Lanka, and their fourth-highest total in the format, courtesy of Smriti Mandhana's 116.

In reply, India bundled out Sri Lanka for 245 as Sneh Rana and Amanjot Kaur shared seven wickets between them. Smriti was named Player of the Match while Sneh bagged the Player of the Series accolade for clinching 15 scalps in the series.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 authentic Indian perspective comments on the article:
R
Rahul K.
As an Indian cricket fan, I respect Athapaththu's passion but breaking sunglasses is too much! Our Indian players like Smriti Mandhana show aggression through their performance, not equipment damage. Congrats to Team India for the clinical win though! 🇮🇳🏏
P
Priya M.
The fine seems fair but I feel bad for Chamari - Sri Lanka played well this series. Our Indian girls were just too strong in the final! Sneh Rana's bowling was 🔥. Hope this incident doesn't overshadow the great cricket we saw from all teams.
A
Arjun S.
This is why I love women's cricket - full of passion! Remember Harmanpreet Kaur's bat smash in 2017? Athapaththu is a great player, just had a moment of frustration. But our Indian team's record total was the real headline! 342 runs - kya baat hai!
S
Shreya N.
ICC should be consistent with punishments across all teams. I've seen worse reactions from players who got away lightly. Anyway, Team India made us proud with that dominating performance! Smriti's century was pure class 👌
V
Vikram J.
As a cricket coach, I tell my students - control your emotions on field. Athapaththu is a senior player, should know better. But credit to our Indian bowlers who kept their cool under pressure and took those crucial wickets!
N
Neha P.
The real story is how far Indian women's cricket has come! From 342 runs to 15 wickets for Sneh Rana - what a performance! Hope SL and SA teams also keep improving. More competition means better cricket for all of us fans 😊

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