India vs West Indies: Khaleel Ahmed reprimanded for Marlon Samuels send-off

Young Indian pacer Khaleel Ahmed was Tuesday warned and handed a demerit point for giving an “aggressive” send-off to West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels during the fourth ODI in Mumbai.

Ahmed was found guilty of a Level 1 breach in the ICC Code of Conduct. “The incident happened in the 14th over, when the left-armer, after having Marlon Samuels caught in the slips by Rohit Sharma, advanced aggressively towards the departing batter, which, in the view of the on-field umpires, could have provoked a reaction from the Windies player,” said the ICC in a release.

Ahmed violated Article 2.5 of the Code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.

After the match, the 20-year-old admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad, making a formal hearing redundant.

“Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points,” the release added.

When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points, leading to bans of various degrees. Left-arm pacer Ahmed was the stand-out bowler for India in the game, taking three wickets for 13 runs in five overs.

India won the fourth ODI by 224 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The second game ended in a dramatic tie.