South Africa’s Heinrich Klassen fined for hitting the stumps during the second ODI against Pakistan

Cricket is a gentleman’s game, but having a fight with opponents is part of the sport. Players do this to each other all the time, whether it’s to vent their frustration or to get into an opponent’s head and force a mistake from their end. Something similar happened to the South African star Heinrich classes he got involved in a fight with some of the Pakistani players which did not end well for him.

The ICC fined Heinrich Klassen for hitting the stumps

He started during the 26th over of the South African innings as they chased down a total of 329 runs from Pakistan. Haris Rauf bowled the final ball of the over after which he said something to Klassen that fired up the South African keeper who retaliated with some words of his own. Pakistani pattern Mohammed Rizwan he got involved in the scene to defend his bowler and there was a bit of a signal between him and Klassen. The mood on the pitch returned to normal, as the umpires and some senior Pakistani players like it Babar Azam mediated, but the flashpoint seemed to have gotten into Klassen’s mind since then.

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The South African chase came to an end as Klassen was the last man dismissed Naseem Shah. Klassen put in a valiant effort to save the match for his side and keep the Proteas’ hopes alive in the series, but he didn’t get any support from the other South African batsmen. Furious at the defeat, Klassen hit the stumps to vent his frustration. ICC later announced that Klassen had been found guilty to breach the ICC Code of Conduct and charged 15 percent of his party fee for the same.

Klaasen’s crime

ICC further explained that Klassen unfulfilled Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for players and player support staffwhich relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match”. In addition, a demerit point was also added to Klassen’s disciplinary record as it was his first offense in a 24-month period.

Klassen reportedly accepted the penalty proposed by the match referee Richie Richardson. Field referees Alex Wharf i Lubabalo Gcumathird umpire Nitin Menon and fourth umpire Allahuddin Palekar filed charges against him for the crime.

South Africa will play the third and final ODI of the series against Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium. The visiting team has already secured an unbeaten 2-0 lead in the series. However, the Proteas will be looking to avoid a series whitewash against a Pakistan side that have managed to defeat them convincingly in the first two ODIs.

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