On June 10, Shubman Gill responded to his contentious firing with a series of cryptic social media statements that seemed to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the catch made by Cameron Green. He might have violated the ICC Code of Conduct by doing so.
India and Australia were playing in the World Test Championship Final on Day 4, and there was some controversy when TV umpire Richard Kettleborough upheld Cameron Green’s low catch in the gully.
While some considered that Green “grassed” the ball on his way down, others thought that he had complete control over the ball and his actions, kept it off the ground, and the decision was therefore the right one.
Opinions are divided over controversial Cameron Green’s catch of Shubman Gill, “When in doubt, it’s not out.”
To the annoyance of Indian supporters, Gill, who was batting on a run-a-ball 18 and appeared to be in perfect form before being dismissed, had a long walk back.
While Gill didn’t react extravagantly or express any disapproval on the pitch after being penalised, he did turn to social media and post a few cryptic messages that included screenshots of Green’s catch and ‘clapping’. along with the “magnifying glass” and “facepalm” emojis.
What rules does the code of conduct specify?
Public criticism of any occurrence by a player during a game is covered in Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Any social media post made by a player “where they criticise or make an 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” constitutes either a Level 1 or Level 2 offence, according to the policy.
According to Article 2.7, “the context in which the comments have been made and the gravity of the offending comments must be taken into account when assessing the seriousness of the breach, without limitation.”
It is unclear if the Match Referee will find Gill’s Twitter and Instagram remarks to be inappropriate enough to book him for a Level 1 or Level 2 offence under Article 2.7, despite the fact that they did not express a direct criticism of the decision.
What possible sanctions might be imposed against Gill?
While a Level 1 offence carries a warning and/or fine of up to 50% of the applicable match fee and between one and two demerit points, a Level 2 offence carries a fine of 50% to 100% of the applicable match fee and up to two suspension points, or between three and four demerit points.
A player will be suspended for one Test match or two limited-overs international matches if they accumulate four demerit points during the course of a rolling two-year term.
