England pacer Reece Topley has been fined 15 per cent of his match fees by the International Cricket Council as he smashed a chair after an injury setback during the first T20I against the West Indies. Topley jarred his right knee during the series opener against the West Indies on Saturday. He tried to continue bowling after a short rain delay but eventually left the field after bowling one more delivery and didn’t take the field for the rest of the game. As he walked back up the steps, Topley was seen picking up a chair and smashing it on the staircase handrail.
The left-arm seamer’s reaction was quite similar to the one he had in Mumbai during the ODI World Cup 2023. He had swiped the chair out of his path after leaving the field following an injury. The injury on his left index finger ruled him out of the entire tournament.
He escaped punishment for his action in 2023, but this time, he has been found guilty of his recent actions.
“Topley 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,” ICC said in a statement.
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Topley’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.
Topley admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Leslie Reifer and Zahid Bassarath, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite, and fourth umpire Deighton Butler 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.
