Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi made headlines in Chennai for the right reasons on the field and the wrong reasons off it. A day after scoring his maiden ODI century in the third and final ODI against India, Shahidi was officially reprimanded by the ICC for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
The left-hander was found guilty under Article 2.10.10, which relates to deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch by a batter. According to the ICC, Shahidi had already been warned multiple times by the match officials for running in the protected area of the pitch before the matter escalated further.
He received two informal warnings before being officially cautioned in the 31st over of Afghanistan’s innings. However, after another breach in the 40th over, India were awarded a five-run penalty. The ICC also added one demerit point to Shahidi’s disciplinary record, which is his first offence in the last 24 months.
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Shahidi accepted the charge and the proposed sanction from match referee Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel, which meant no formal hearing was required. The complaint was jointly levelled by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit, along with third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Virender Sharma.
Hashmatullah Shahidi reprimanded for running on the pitch despite official warning
https://t.co/58JYT9jt9k— Cricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 21, 2026
Level 1 offences can bring an official reprimand, a fine of up to 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points, depending on the severity of the breach.
Despite the disciplinary setback, Shahidi produced a memorable batting effort, scoring 102 off 131 balls to reach his first ODI hundred. His innings stood out as one of Afghanistan’s few bright moments in the match, but the pitch violation has now added an unwanted layer to his otherwise historic performance.
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Demerit points stay on a player’s record for 24 months. Once four or more are collected within that period, they are converted into suspension points, which can lead to a ban from Test or limited-overs cricket.
