Zimbabwe star fined - (Source : @ZimCricTV/X.com)
In a significant development, the ICC has imposed a heavy sanction on Zimbabwe's pacer Kundai Matigimu for throwing a ball at Lhuan-de Pretorius in the ongoing 2nd Test against South Africa.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed a 15% fine on his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. The incident occurred in the 72nd over on Day 1 of the 2nd Test.
Matigimu's Throw Hit Pretorious On His Hand
Notably, Pretorius hit the ball straight back to Matigimu, who stopped it during his follow-through and threw it back at the batter. However, the ball hit South Africa's batter on his wrist.
Eventually, the Zimbabwe seamer accepted his mistake to the match referee, resulting in a 15% match fee deduction.
Matigimu was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an international match.”
In addition to the fine, one demerit point has been added to the pacer's disciplinary record. This marks his first offence within a 24-month period.
Matigimu Fined On His Debut Match
The unfortunate incident occurred in Matigimu's debut Test match. The 27-year-old has represented his nation in T20Is before, but this was the first time he played a red-ball game for his country.
Matigimu didn't have the best debut as he took a couple of wickets but registered figures of 2/124. Talking about the match, South Africa overpowered Zimbabwe as the Proteas put 626/5 on the board in the first innings.
In reply, Zimbabwe tumbled for just 170 runs, which enforced a follow-on. At the time of writing, Zimbabwe are 64/2 and on course for a big defeat.