England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has been fined for using an audible obscenity on the fifth day of the recently concluded Cape Town Test against South Africa as he breached the Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
The visitors England claimed a late series-level victory in the Cape Town Test by 189 runs. On the fifth day of that Test, when Vernon Philander put the desperate fight to save that Test, England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler passed some comments which breached the ICC Code of Conduct. The stump mic caught his voice where it was also heard that Buttler called Philander as “f***ing knobhead”.
Don't you just love English athletes?
They're such a classy bunch ?♂️#SAvENG pic.twitter.com/R1b6bMg5Yl
— JAKE BUCKLEY ?? (@TheMasterBucks) January 7, 2020
It was the breaching of Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel as the ICC stated it as “use of an audible obscenity during an International Match”.
ICC fined Jos Buttler 15% of his match fees
In result, Jos Buttler has been fined 15% of his match fees. Also, one demerit point has been added with his name, which is his first demerit point in last 24 months. The 29-year-old admitted his offence and also accepted the proposed sanction. Andy Pycroft, the match referee, proposed that sanction while the match umpires levelled the charges. So, there is no required for a further formal hearing. The match umpires were Kumar Dharmasena and Paul Reiffel (on-field umpires), Chris Gaffaney (third umpire) and Allahudien Palekar (reserve umpire).
Jos Buttler, who made Test debut in 2014, which was around three years later of his international debut, was playing his 39th Test during the Cape Town match.
The 34-year-old South African all-rounder Vernon Philander is playing his last Test series. In that Test match, Philander scored 17 not out (58 balls) in the first innings and played another supportive knock of eight runs in 51 balls. However, his fight went in vain as the visitors finally won that Test match. The right-arm pacer Philander picked up two wickets (2/46 & 0/24) in that Test. Earlier, in this Test series, South Africa won the first Test by 107 runs. They will play two more Tests in this series.