India pacer Arshdeep Singh has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for throwing the ball “aggressively and inappropriately” at New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell during the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad. In addition, one demerit point has been added to Arshdeep’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.

Arshdeep was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an international match,” an ICC media release stated on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the 11th over of New Zealand’s innings when Arshdeep fielded the ball on his follow-through and threw it aggressively, hitting the pads of the Black Caps vice-captain on Sunday. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first team to win three T20 World Cup titles. The Men in Blue also became the first side to successfully defend the title and win the tournament on home soil.

Arshdeep accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, eliminating the need for a formal hearing. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf, third umpire Allahuddien Paleker and fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum fine of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

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