England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who is making his comeback into the Test format after taking back his retirement, was fined for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in the ongoing first Ashes 2023 match against Australia at Edgbaston.
Moeen Ali was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.
He was fined 25% of his match fees and one demerit point has been added to Moeen’s disciplinary record for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. This was Ali’s first offense in the past 24 months.
The incident occurred during the 89th over of Australia’s first innings at Edgbaston when Moeen was seen applying a drying agent to his bowling hand at the boundary line while fielding.
The all-rounder admitted guilt and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
The Match Referee was satisfied that the cream was applied to the finger only to dry his hands. The cream was not applied as an artificial substance to the ball and consequently, it did not change the condition of the ball, which would have been in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC playing conditions – Unfair Play – The Match Ball – Changing its Condition.
On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Marais Erasmus, third umpire Chris Gaffaney and fourth umpire Mike Burns leveled the charge.
(ICC inputs)
