Athapaththu Fined for Conduct Violation in Tri-Series Match

Chamari Athapaththu, the captain of the Sri Lanka women’s cricket team, has been penalized with a fine of 10% of her match fee for violating the ICC Code of Conduct during a crucial tri-series game against South Africa in Colombo.

The event took place during the sixth match of the Tri-Nation Series between South Africa and Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

During the 32nd over of South Africa’s innings, Athapaththu, after a boundary was scored by Annerie Dercksen, reacted in frustration by removing her sunglasses and smashing them onto the ground, causing them to break.

This action was considered a breach of Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”

The on-field umpires, Anna Harris and Dedunu de Silva, in conjunction with third umpire Lyndon Hannibal and fourth umpire Nimali Perera, made the report regarding the incident.

Athapaththu admitted to the charge and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Michelle Pereira, thereby negating the requirement for an official hearing.

Since this was Athapaththu’s first infraction within a 24-month timeframe, one demerit point has been added to her record. Level one offences can incur penalties from a formal warning up to a maximum of 50% of the match fee and a maximum of two demerit points.

Despite this incident, Sri Lanka prevailed over South Africa by 76 runs, securing their place in the tri-series final against India.

However, in the final match, India exhibited dominance, defeating Sri Lanka by 97 runs. India achieved a total of 342/7, which marks their highest women’s ODI score in Sri Lanka, propelled by Smriti Mandhana’s impressive score of 116.