Muhammad Waseem fined over biased umpiring remarks after 2nd T20I vs Nepal

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for calling the umpires biased during the second T20I against Nepal on April 21 at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Waseem was dismissed lbw on the very first ball of the innings by Hemant Dhami.

However, he expressed his displeasure with the umpire’s decision, gesturing that the ball going down the leg side. Waseem further criticized the decision at the at the presentation ceremony after UAE lost by 8 wickets, saying that the umpiring was biased.

He was found guilty of a Level 1 breach pertaining to Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an International Match or any Player, Player Support Personnel, Match Official or team participating in any International Match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made.”

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.

On-field umpires Buddhi Pradhan and Vinay Kumar, third umpire Durga Subedi and fourth umpire Sanjay Sigdel levelled the charge against the UAE skipper for his statement.

It was Waseem’s first offence in a 24-month period, and he admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Match referee Wendell La Brooy. Hence, there was no need for a formal hearing.

Nepal level series vs UAE

Meanwhile, the T20I series between Nepal and UAE was levelled 1-1 after Nepal’s eight-wicket victory in the second match. UAE were restricted to 128/8 in their 20 overs with Akshdeep Nath (53* off 42) scoring a half century.

Sandeep Lamicchane (3/6) scalped three wickets for Nepal, while Hemant Dhami (2/20) also chipped in with two wickets. In reply, Nepal chased down the target in 15.5 overs, courtesy of a splendid innings from Kushal Bhurtel (84* off 57).