Mark Waugh Criticizes The ICC’s 20% Sanction On Virat Kohli As Too Light

Former Australian batter Mark Waugh had a real problem with the ICC’s lenient sanction on Indian captain Virat Kohli. He imposed a fine of 20% of his match fee for charging shoulder barging 19-year-old Australian debutant Sam Konstas during the first day of the Boxing Day Test match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Although Waugh only felt that there was little punishment, he doubted whether Kohli would even be punished for that action, as penalties lined up by the ICC were not consistent. Waugh doesn’t believe he has to justify his views since it was quite clear that it involved Kohli, which further expresses the general belief that infeasibility was an uncontrolled factor in the ICC appeal for consistent disciplinary action.

These stirred controversies issue, which leads to a debate on player behaviors and the need for stricter penalties in the game to keep it pure. However, even though it did not lead to serious punishment for Kohli, this incident is a blot on him and an issue with his sportsmanship.

“The fine should be at least 75% of the match fee”- Mark Waugh on Virat Kohli

Former Australia batter Mark Waugh lambasted the International Cricket Council (ICC) for imposing a meager 20 percent fine on Virat Kohli for a shoulder barge against Sam Konstas on Day 1.

“It doesn’t matter who you are; that sort of behavior is unacceptable, He’s extremely lucky the penalty was so lenient… it could easily have been deemed a Level 2 offence” Waugh said on Fox Cricket.

“The fine should be at least 75% of the match fee if you’re going to impose a monetary penalty. Incidents like this could escalate, involving players or even the crowd, especially in hostile environments. Physical contact of this nature is simply not acceptable,” Mark Waugh added.

ICC match referee Andy Pycroft also classified the incident as a Level 1 offence. As a result, there will be a 20 percent fine of Kohli’s match fee, along with one demerit point. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50% of the player’s match fee, along with one or two demerit points. The on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Michael Gough, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and fourth umpire Shawn Craig brought the charge against Kohli.

It was stated that Kohli breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel regarding “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee, or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match.