West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has been fined 15 percent of his match fee and handed a demerit point for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against Australia in Bridgetown, which the visitors won by 159 runs.
The incident occurred following the second day’s play, when Sammy made critical remarks about a match official during a media interaction. His comments, referencing multiple on-field incidents, were deemed a violation of Article 2.7 of the ICC Code, which prohibits public criticism of match officials and participants.
The charge was formally laid by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nitin Menon, third umpire Adrian Holdstock, and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite. Match referee Javagal Srinath of the ICC Elite Panel approved the sanction after Sammy admitted the offence and accepted the proposed penalty.
This marks Sammy’s first offence in a 24-month period. Under the ICC’s disciplinary framework, Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and can extend up to a 50% fine and two demerit points.
The Test itself was a dramatic affair, with Australia sealing a dominant win after Josh Hazlewood’s impressive 5-43 helped dismantle the West Indies batting lineup. The hosts collapsed in the final session of Day 3 while chasing a target of 301.
The two-match series will continue with the second Test scheduled to begin on Thursday, 3 July, at the National Cricket Stadium in St George’s.