The English all-rounder, Sam Curran has received a fine of 15 percent of his match fee and was handed a demerit point for giving a harsh send-off to the South African captain Temba Bavuma in the second ODI of the three-match series on Sunday. The penalty was announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.
The teams will again be locking horns with each other in the third and final match of the World Cup Super League series in Kimberley on Wednesday. Bavuma played a match-winning knock of 109 as South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 series lead in Bloemfontein before scooping a ball from Curran into his stumps. Curran ran down the pitch and got close to Bavuma as he was celebrating the dismissal.
Match referee Jeff Crowe of New Zealand decided to impose a fine on Sam Curran following a report by the umpires. Curran admitted the offense and there was no need for a formal hearing.
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According to the ICC,Sam Curran was found to have committed a level one offense of the ICC code of conduct when he “excessively celebrated towards and in close proximity to the dismissed batter, being an action which had the potential to provoke an aggressive reaction from Bavuma”.
If a player accumulates four or more demerit points within a period of 2 years faces a ban. It was Curran’s first offense within the time period.
Here is the video of the celebration from Sam Curran:
Here's the video pic.twitter.com/CyEtMwVAoG
— KaRuN (@KarunakarkarunN) February 1, 2023
Batting first England piled a stiff 342/7 on the board, with skipper Jos Buttler emerging as the leading run-scorer from the English camp. The captain scored an unbeaten 94 off 82 balls, while Harry Brook contributed with 75-ball 80 and Moeen Ali scored 45-ball 51. During the chase, the South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma scored 109 off 102 balls before getting cleaned up by star all-rounder Sam Curran.
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The Proteas won the game by five wickets, chasing down England 342 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The third and final ODI takes place in Kimberley on Wednesday starting at 13:00 (SAST).
Sam Curran’s antics were not appreciated by fans on social media, who were quick to slam the all-rounder. Here are a few reactions:
Guess which one got a demerit point… Shouting at the ground vs shouting in his face #SamCurran #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/LWmMimJHc7
— Gills (@gpricey23) January 29, 2023
Really hate the bowlers who try to get into the batter after getting them out. Sam Curran celebrated like this for a wicket that was not even a wicket taking ball. Curran did not get him out, Bavuma himself did. #CricketTwitter #SAvsENG https://t.co/2cl5KdT40c
— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) January 30, 2023
Rabada got banned for a similar celebration while Curran wasn’t even warned. pic.twitter.com/NTd6ag3reV
— 🇦🇺 (@COVERDRlVE) January 30, 2023
