South Africa vs England 2019-20, Johannesburg: Ben Stokes issues apology after a heated altercation with a spectator
English all-rounder Ben Stokes has issued an apology on his Twitter handle for his 'unprofessional reaction' after a heated altercation with a spectator on Day 1 of the ongoing fourth Test versus South Africa in Johannesburg. The former was involved in using expletives with a spectator on his way back to the dressing room after getting dismissed for two runs by Anrich Nortje in the 45th over of England's 1st innings.
The 28-year-old took it to Twitter to apologise for his indecent behavior and published an image of his statement. Stokes depicted how he shouldn't have reacted the way he did. However, he mentioned that he got subjected to 'repeated abuse from the crowd' as he was heading towards the dressing room.
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In the statement, Stokes mentioned that he was apologetic for the foul language used that got heard on the live broadcast, especially in front of the young cricket fans. He also praised the support from fans from both countries, where such a one-off incident won't disintegrate the competition between England and South Africa.
"I admit my reaction was unprofessional, and I sincerely apologise for the language I used, especially to the many young fans watching the live telecast around the world. Throughout the Tests so far, the support from both sets of fans (England and South Africa) has been brilliant. One incident will not ruin such a competitive series, which we are determined to win."
As per the ICC Code of Conduct, using offensive language during an international match is considered as a level one offence, where the punishment carries a fine up to 50% of the match fee and the addition of up to two demerit points.
Earlier in the third test, Kagiso Rabada was found guilty in breaching Level 1 of ICC's Code of Conduct. He is currently absent in the ongoing Johannesburg Test, with a 15% fine of his match fees and one demerit point.
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