Publications
Partners
Cape Town - England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has been fined 15 percent of his match fee after he was caught on live TV calling Proteas veteran Vernon Philander a "fucking knobhead".
Buttler was fined for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fifth day of the second Test against the Proteas at Newlands.
WATCH | Buttler calls Philander a 'f***ing knobhead' on live TV
According to the ICC, the Englishman breached Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “Use of an audible obscenity during an International Match”.
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Buttler, for whom it was the first offence during a 24-month period.
Buttler took exception to Philander and launched into an expletive-ridden rant, which was heard over the stump microphone, where he appeared to shout: "Fucking move. Fucking knobhead".
Buttler admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Chris Gaffaney and reserve umpire Allahudien Palekar leveled the charges.
England skipper Joe Root played down the incident after the Test commenting that it wasn't "anything serious".
"It was just two guys playing hard Test cricket. Emotions were running quite high and I don't think anyone overstepped the mark. You want a bit of spice on the TV anyway, don't you?" said Root after their side's 189-run victory.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player's match fee, and one or two demerit points.
The four-match Test series against the Proteas and England is evenly poised at 1-1 with the third Test scheduled to get underway on Thursday, January 16 at St. George's Park.
- Compiled by Lynn Butler
