Sports
ICC Fines Nepal's Paudel and Two UAE Players for Code Violations in Asia Cup Qualifier Final
By Today News Hours Editorial Desk
Nepal batsman Rohit Kumar Paudel has been fined 15 percent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the final of the ACC Men's Premier Cup against the UAE, played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday. The International Cricket Council confirmed the sanction on Tuesday.
The final carried significant stakes, with a spot in the 2027 Asia Cup on the line for the two competing sides.
According to the ICC, the incident took place during the 31st over of the first innings, when Paudel became involved in a heated exchange with UAE's Adeeb Usmani while batting. Both players reportedly failed to follow directions from the umpires, who intervened to calm the situation.
As a result, both Paudel and Adeeb were fined 15 percent of their match fees for violating Article 2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which covers disobeying an umpire's instructions during an international match.
Under ICC guidelines, Level 1 offenses can result in penalties ranging from an official reprimand to a fine of up to 50 percent of a player's match fee, along with the addition of one or two demerit points.
In a separate incident during the same match, UAE's Khuzaima Tanveer was fined 10 percent of his match fee after striking the stumps with his bat following his dismissal in the 46th over of the UAE innings. The ICC ruled that this action violated Article 2.2 of the Code of Conduct, which addresses the misuse of cricket equipment, clothing, or ground fixtures during an international match.
The charges were brought forward by on-field umpires Kalidas Viswanathan and Tabarak Dar, along with reserve umpire Vinod Babu. As a consequence, all three players—Paudel, Adeeb, and Khuzaima—each received one demerit point added to their disciplinary records. None of them had any prior demerit points within the preceding 24-month period.
Under ICC regulations, accumulating four or more demerit points within 24 months results in conversion to suspension points, which could lead to a ban from future matches.
The ICC noted that no formal hearings were necessary, as all three players acknowledged their violations and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ali Naqvi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees.