Jayden Seales Penalized for Conduct Breach in Delhi Test

West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has been sanctioned with a fine of 25% of his match earnings following a Level 1 infraction of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test match against India held in Delhi.

Seales was held accountable for breaching Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. The article addresses the act of “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match.”

In addition to the monetary penalty, Seales has been given one demerit point, which brings his total to two demerit points within a span of 24 months. The previous demerit point was assigned during a Test encounter with Bangladesh in December 2024.

The incident unfolded on the first day of the second Test, specifically during the 29th over of India’s initial innings. Seales, after fielding the ball, proceeded to throw it in the direction of batter Yashaswi Jaiswal, and the ball made contact with his pads.

Seales challenged the proposed penalty put forth by Andy Pycroft, an Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees member. This challenge led to a formal hearing. The bowler asserted that the throw was a legitimate attempt to execute a run out.

Following a thorough review of replay footage from various perspectives, the Match Referee concluded that the throw was unwarranted and unsuitable, considering that Jaiswal was safely within the crease when the ball struck him.

The accusation was validated by on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel, along with third umpire Alex Wharf, and fourth umpire K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan.

Level 1 violations of the ICC Code typically involve a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, with a maximum penalty extending to 50% of the match fee, in addition to one or two demerit points.

Currently, West Indies are trailing 1-0 in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series in India, having suffered a defeat by an innings and 140 runs in Ahmedabad during the first Test.