Ben Stokes could be facing punishment for a breach of the ICC's code of conduct following Mitchell Santner's dismissal on day two of England's second Test against New Zealand.
Santer was Stokes' third wicket of the morning, having already dismissed Daryl Mitchell and Will O'Rourke. Bowling to Santner, the spin-bowling allrounder got himself in a tangle facing a short ball from Stokes, attempting to move out of the way of the delivery but failing to keep his hands down. The ball appeared to hit Santner close to his glove before looping up to Jacob Bethell at gully. The umpire gave him out, with Santner reviewing straight away.
Replays showed the ball hitting the top half of the wristband of Santner's glove, which is considered part of the bat under the ICC playing conditions. Santner, however, was unconvinced that the ball had hit his glove and reviewed the decision. The third umpire, however, ruled the on-field umpire's decision should stand, which gave Stokes his 250th wicket in Test cricket.
While the third umpire was deliberating, Santner and Stokes engaged in conversation, with Santner seeming to suggest that the ball had hit his arm guard rather than his glove. In response, Stokes tapped Santner's wristband to show him where the ball hat connected.
That action could lead to Stokes being sanctioned for a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. The Code prohibits "any form of inappropriate pgysical contact" with a player or umpire.
The code goes on to state: "When assessing the seriousness of the breach, the following factors (without limitation) shall be taken into account: (i) the context of the particular situation, including, without limitation, whether the contact was deliberate (i.e. intentional), reckless, negligent, and/or avoidable; (ii) the force of the contact; (iii) any resulting injury to the person with whom contact was made; and (iv) the person with whom contact was made."
The contact between Stokes and Santner wasn't heated, and Santner did not appear to be upset by Stokes tapping his wristband. However, Stokes still could have a case to answer under the regulations. There was speculation last summer that Akash Deep could be fined for putting his arm around Ben Duckett following his dismissal at the Lord's Test between India and England. While Deep escaped punishment, others have previously been punished for minor infractions of the Code.
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