Virat Kohli found guilty of breaching ICC Code of Conduct, fined 25 percent match fee

Indian skipper Virat Kohli was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during India’s cricket world cup match against Afghanistan on June 22 in Southampton.

Virat Kohli was fined 25 percent of his match fee for excessive appealing during an International match and one demerit point was added to his disciplinary record.

Why was Virat Kohli fined by ICC?

Virat Kohli was found guilty of breaching Article 2.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. The article relates to “Excessive appealing during an International Match”.

When did the incident take place?

Virat Kohli was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, when he advanced towards umpire Aleem Dar in an aggressive manner while appealing an lbw decision during the 29th over of Afghanistan’s innings on June 22 at Southampton.  After the incident, the two on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Richard Illingworth along with third umpire Richard Kettleborough and fourth official Michael Gough leveled the charges on Kohli.

Will any formal action be taken against Virat Kohli?

There would be no formal hearing on the matter, as Virat Kohli admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.

The breaching of level 1 of the ICC Code carries a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee and one or two demerit points. The revised ICC Code of Conduct was introduced in September 2016.

How many demerit points does Virat Kohli have?

This is Kohli’s second offence since the introduction of the revised code. Kohli got the first demerit point during India’s test against South Africa on January 15, 2018. Hence, he now has a total of two demerit points in his disciplinary record.

What is the impact of demerit point? Can Virat Kohli be banned from a match?

A player is only banned or suspended when he reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, as then the demerit points are converted into suspension points. Two suspension points are equal to a ban from one Test match or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first.

Do the demerit points have an expiry date?

The demerit points remain on a player’s disciplinary record for a period of 24 months from the time of their imposition, after which they are erased.