ECB Suspends Cheteshwar Pujara For A County Championship Game

image-lmp3qz3hCheteshwar Pujara is Sussex's captain (Twitter)

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has suspended Indian batter and Sussex County Cricket Club captain, Cheteshwar Pujara for a single match and penalised Sussex with a 12-point deduction in the County Championship.


Pujara faces ECB suspension as Sussex battles conduct controversy

This unprecedented action is a result of Sussex's breach of the ECB's Professional Conduct Regulations, amassing four fixed penalties within a season.

The crux of the matter lies in the unsportsmanlike behaviour displayed by two of Pujara's teammates, Jack Carson and Tom Haines, during the Sussex versus Leicestershire clash at Hove. Although Pujara himself did not infringe upon any regulations, his inability to reign in the actions of Carson and Haines led to his suspension.

The ECB, in an official statement, pointed to Regulation 4.30 of the Professional Conduct Regulations.

“Regulation 4.30 of the Professional Conduct Regulations sets out that it shall be a separate offence for the captain where the same individual captained the Team in all of the matches in which the fixed penalties were received, and that the captain will receive an automatic suspension of one match from that competition,” said the statement.

Further tightening the screws, the board has sidelined Haines and Carson for Sussex’s upcoming match against Derbyshire on September 19.

The ECB elaborated on Sussex's point deduction, citing Regulation 4.27.

“Regulation 4.27 of the Professional Conduct Regulations sets out that it will be a separate offence for a Team: During any season Registered Cricketers registered with or on loan to the same First-Class County whilst playing for that Team in the County Championship, receive 4 or more fixed penalties,” stated ECB.

This double blow of the trio's exclusion and the point reduction has impacted Sussex's standing, causing them to fall from third to fifth in the Championship, now holding 124 points.