Hashmatullah Shahidi found guilty of ICC Code of Conduct breach

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has been handed a demerit point after being found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third ODI against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on June 20. 

The sanction came after Shahidi repeatedly ran on the pitch, an offence that falls under Article 2.10.10 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to a batter causing deliberate or avoidable damage to the playing surface.

This was Shahidi’s first offence in a two‑year period, and as a result, one demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record. Despite the penalty, Shahidi had a memorable outing with the bat, scoring a fighting 102 off 131 balls in a losing cause. His innings, which lasted 194 minutes, included 13 boundaries and a six, and came at a strike rate of 77.86.

The incident unfolded after Shahidi was warned twice unofficially by on‑field umpires Rohan Pandit and Chris Gaffaney. Gaffaney then issued an official warning in the 31st over, bowled by Prince Yadav. 

However, Shahidi repeated the offence in the 40th over, when he ventured into the restricted area of the pitch while completing a single off Washington Sundar. The umpires disallowed the run and awarded India five penalty runs when they came out to bat in the second innings.

The charge was levelled by the two on‑field umpires, third umpire Richard Illingworth, and fourth umpire Virender Sharma, before match referee Ranjan Madugalle imposed the sanction. There was no need for a formal hearing, as Shahidi admitted the offence and accepted the punishment.

The Men in Blue outclassed Afghanistan and romped home by nine wickets and 128 balls to spare. Yashasvi Jaiswal's unbeaten hundred (110* off 86 balls) was the star of the chase for the hosts as they inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on Afghanistan.