Samuels escapes sanction

Sydney - West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels will not be sanctioned over a "throat-slitting" gesture he made in his team's Cricket World Cup win over Zimbabwe, a source said on Thursday.

Samuels appeared to run his thumb from one side of his throat to the other to mark his century in Tuesday's 73-run victory.

"The match officials have seen the incident and have decided not to lay a charge," said a source.

However, it's understood that the match referee did have an informal talk to the West Indian regarding the matter.

Samuels made an undefeated 133 and shared a 372-run stand with Chris Gayle, who became the first double centurion in World Cup history, in the Pool B game at Canberra's Manuka Oval.