Australia’s power-hitter Tim David has found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after an emotional outburst at the umpire during the fifth and final T20I against West Indies on July 28 in St. Kitts. The International Cricket Council (ICC) didn’t take kindly to his on-field conduct. It penalised the Australian batter for showing dissent, an action deemed contrary to the spirit of the game.

The flashpoint occurred in the fifth over of Australia’s innings when West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph delivered a ball that seemed to be drifting down the leg side. Tim David believed it should’ve been called wide. But when umpire Leslie Reifer chose not to signal it, David’s frustration boiled over. He demonstratively stretched his arms out in protest and even took a few steps toward the umpire, clearly questioning the decision.

The ICC later confirmed this as a violation of Article 2.8 of its Code of Conduct, which pertains to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match.” On August 4, the ICC issued a formal statement confirming a 10% match fee fine and one demerit point for David.

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Since this was his first offence in two years, the punishment was relatively light. David accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Reon King, avoiding the need for a disciplinary hearing. The charge was brought forward by the officiating team—on-field umpires Zahid Bassarath and Leslie Reifer, third umpire Deighton Buttler, and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite.

Tim David has been fined 10 % of his match fee and one demerit point has been added for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fifth T20I against the West Indies#WIvAUS #AUSvWI #TimDavid pic.twitter.com/aSNM4Am5FP

— Shakeel Khan Khattak (@ShakeelktkKhan) August 5, 2025

Former West Indies cricketer and commentator Daren Ganga didn’t hold back, stating on-air, “That’s unacceptable—if the umpire decides there was contact with the thigh, he’s not in a position to question that decision.”

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Despite the controversy, David’s contribution with the bat helped Australia seal a narrow three-wicket win and complete a dominant 5-0 series sweep. He smashed 30 runs in the final game and made headlines earlier in the series by scoring the fastest T20I century by an Australian, reaching the milestone in just 37 balls during the third match. Carrying over his explosive form from the IPL, where he played a vital role in RCB’s historic title win, David amassed 132 runs in just three innings in this T20I series, including a sensational unbeaten 102.