Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza has faced the brunt of his actions in the T20I fixture against Namibia. Raza has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct for showing dissent over umpire’s decision.
The incident took place in the 16th over of Zimbabwe's innings in the first T20I of five-T20I series on May 17 at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
Raza’s animated response
Raza was adjudged LBW off Gerhard Erasmus' bowling. The veteran Zimbabwe batter was not happy with the decision and showed his bat to the umpire saying that the ball did not hit the pads directly. He did not just use inappropriate language while leaving the field but vented out his frustration in the dressing room as well.
There was no need for a formal hearing. “Raza admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Match Referee Andy Pycroft,” ICC said in the release.
Following the incident, two demerit points have been added to the 36-year-old's disciplary record which will be valid for a 24-month period.
Zimbabwe win nail-biter
However, the unfortunate incident did not affect Zimbabawe as they went on to win the game by seven runs. Raza scored 37 runs from 30 deliveries before getting out to Erasmus. His 37-run knock included two fours and one six. Led by skipper Craig Ervine's unbeaten 55-run knock, Zimbabwe posted 153/4 after opting to bat first.
In reply, Namibia opener Diva la Cock led the run chase with a half-century. La Cock got out in the 17th over and veteran David Wiese was not able to finish the game like he did in last year's T20 World Cup 2021 in a few games. For Zimbabwe, Milton Shumba was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets from three overs while conceding 16 runs.
