The Windies fast-bowler Shannon Gabriel has been charged by the apex council ICC for his involvement in the incident on day three of the third Test in St Lucia.
After an exchange with Gabriel, while he was batting, England captain Joe Root was overheard on the stump microphone saying: “Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.” The video clip has been doing the rounds on social media despite the fact that what had drawn that response from Root was not picked up by the stump microphone.
It had initially appeared that the umpires had dealt with the issue at the field itself – West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite swiftly moved Gabriel away from Root after the exchange – and match referee Jeff Crowe was thought to be satisfied that it had been dealt with.
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However, the umpires have subsequently laid a charge against Gabriel under Article 2.13 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct. The notes to the article states that it “is intended to cover a Player or Player Support Personnel directing language of a personal, insulting, obscene and/or offensive nature at any Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire or Match Referee during an International Match.”
Crowe will now proceed to impose the charges although it may be difficult to prove what, if anything, Gabriel said to Root if there is no audio evidence available. The ICC said they would make no further comment until proceedings have concluded.
Talking about the incident, Root said, “It’s Test cricket, he’s an emotional guy trying to do everything he can to win a Test match. Sometimes people say things on the field they might regret, but they should stay on the field. He’s a good guy who plays hard cricket and is proud to be in the position he is. The battle was a good contest, he’s had a wonderful series and he should be proud.”
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West Indies interim coach Richard Pybus said he was unaware of the comment but it will be addressed if deemed unfit. He said that till now nothing has been reported to him. He also added that the comment was made and the team management will review that and if it was untoward, they’ll be addressing it.
