South Africa seam bowler Vernon Philander was fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday (January 26) for provoking England batsman Jos Buttler during the second day (January 25) of the fourth and final Test at the Wanderers Stadium.
He was the fourth cricketer to be fined and given a demerit point in the ongoing four-match Test series in South Africa after Kagiso Rabada, Ben Stokes, and Buttler.
Playing his last Test match for his country, Philander breached “Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel” relating to provocative language, actions, or gestures after getting a batsman out during an International Match.
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He was fined 15 percent of his match fee and handed one demerit point, as the seamer was found using inappropriate language after dismissing Buttler at Wanderers on Saturday.
Philander, who will be joining Somerset in the County Championship after the fourth Test, which would be his last appearance for Proteas having announced international retirement before the England series, admitted the offense and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft.
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Well, the demerit point will prove irrelevant as the 34-year-old will bow out of Test cricket after the ongoing Test match at Wanderers with 224 wickets in 64 Tests since making debut against Australia in 2011 in the five-day format of the game.
Meanwhile, it seems that Philander will not be able to make his last Test match a memorable one, as first his farewell Test match spoiled by the ICC charges and later took a hamstring injury after bowling just nine balls in England’s second innings on Sunday and now it is not clear whether he will return to bowl on Monday (27 January).
Noteworthy, Buttler was fined and handed a demerit point after swearing at Philander during England's 189-run win in the second Test in Cape Town.
(With Reuters Inputs)
