
South African Robin Peterson was officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council ICC for smashing wickets after hitting the winning boundary in the nail-biting match against Sri Lanka on Wenesday.
After Lasith Malinga took four wickets off as many deliveries, the match was poised for a close finish and Peterson hit the winning boundary for a memorable win. In celebration, he smashed the stumps at the non-striker8217;s end to invite ICC8217;s wrath. Peterson later pleaded guilty to the Level 1 charge which refers to 8220;Abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings8221;.
8220;Robin apologised to the umpires on the field after the incident and the umpires expressed the view that there was no malice involved in his actions,8221; match referee Jeff Crowe said.
8220;Also, I accepted that it was a momentary mistake in the heat of the moment, an out-pouring of relief after a tense and dramatic finish to the match.
8220;However, all players have a responsibility to maintain the highest standard of behaviour, no matter what the situation, as that is part and parcel of being a high-profile sportsman and hitting the stumps with the bat is not acceptable at any time,8221; he said.
8220;And as well as stressing that point to Robin, I also explained that his action could easily have damaged a very expensive and highly sensitive piece of television equipment, the stump camera,8221; Crowe added.