Twitter banter could land Stuart Broad and Alex Hales in trouble

Players could be hauled up by the ICC for their banter on social media

So Alex Hales was visibly upset when he was handed the marching orders on day 1 of the 4th Test at The Oval. A batsman on the pitch usually has the best view in the house when he plays the ball in the air. And in this case and needless to say, Hales did. He watched it all the way as Yasir Shah dived forward, claimed the catch and celebrated thereafter. But the English opener wasn’t convinced one bit. The on-field umpires employed the video referral while signaling that the catch was clean. The hapless third-umpire was presented with blurred images and he had no choice but to uphold the on-field verdict.

And as is the case with most aggrieved customers in the internet-age, cricketers take to social media as well to express their displeasure over matters pertaining to the game. The Daily Mirror cricket correspondent Dean Wilson tweeted: "THAT IS OUT - Hales (6) clips Amir to Yasir at mid-wkt who takes a low catch diving forward. Replays are unclear but umps say out. 23-1”.

This was just the trigger that Stuart Broad needed. Never shy to express an opinion, the English pacer replied soon after the game - "@CricketMirror replays are unclear? You don't believe that do you?"

Hales picked up the conversation subsequently with a “"@StuartBroad8@CricketMirror bit blurry to be fair!" retweet.

@StuartBroad8 @CricketMirror bit blurry to be fair! pic.twitter.com/cyP011id2V

— Alex Hales (@AlexHales1) August 11, 2016

De-coding the “Code”

Healthy post-match banter or sarcasm? You could argue in favour of either. But amidst their Twitter exchanges and unbeknown to the English duo, they could well be asking for trouble. For, the ICC has well documented regulations outlining Code of Conduct offences that apply to players. Across Levels 1,2,3 and 4, the game’s governing body - in eloquent English - describes what exactly constitutes conduct that is deemed as contrary to the spirit of the game.

The Code implies that public criticism directed towards match officials pertaining to a match related incident could be deemed as a violation of the Code of Conduct. And this includes comments - such as the ones posted by Broad and Hales - on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The regulations further classify these deemed offenses as Level 1 (minor nature), Level 2 (serious nature), Level 3 (very serious nature) and Level 4 (overwhelmingly serious nature).

Does this however, translate to players being hauled up and reprimanded right away? Not really. A “Report”, citing the offense has to be submitted to the ICC designated Match Referee that is overseeing the match that served as the premise to the said incident. The Match Referee subsequently calls for a hearing of the matter to conduct an investigatigation.

For Level 1 and 2 offences, the hearing ought to take place within thirty-six hours of the “Notice of Charge” having been issued to the alleged offender. For Level 3 and 4 offences, the timeline for hearing commencements is fourteen days.

The hearing itself is very similar to those conducted in courts of law. The concerned parties submit their evidences to the Match Referee who plays the “judge”. Post his review of the evidences on offer, his verdict - in written copy - is turned into the party in question and the ICC.

A Level 1 offence warrants a warning/reprimand and/or the imposition of a fine of up to 50% of the applicable Match Fee. A Level 2 offender can be handed a fine of up to 50% or 100% of his match fee. The more serious, Level 3 and 4 offences could draw a suspension of anywhere between a year and/ or a lifetime.

And it’s for this very reason that players and their support staff are fully cognizant of the regulations that govern the game and their ensuing actions when playing international cricket. That said, there’s a select breed of elite cricketers that just cannot seem to resist the temptation of flirting with the laws while taking a jibe at the officials that call the shots. And more often than not, it’s the English cricketers that are vocal while expressing their displeasure at matters that go against them.

Regardless of the outcome of such incidents, a certain Sunil Gavaskar will always be ready and waiting to pounce on the Match Referee’s actions or the lack of it on matters pertaining to English cricketers.