The England v India series has gradually escalated in terms of the needle dished out on the pitch, with India so far copping the most heat from ICC demerit points. But which teams are the best and worst behaved in world cricket by that measure?
The sanctions kicked off in the first Test of the series, which is now nearing its conclusion, when Rishabh Pant was handed a demerit point after throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires after they declined India's request to change the ball. There were flashpoints at both Edgbaston and Lord's, with Mohammed Siraj sanctioned for sending off Ben Duckett. At The Oval, Duckett once again took heat upon his dismissal, although a less visually aggressive kind this time, when Akash Deep sarcastically put his arm around the opener after he was out attempting a reverse-scoop.
What are the grounds for ICC Code of Conduct sanctions?
The ICC Code of Conduct lists several behaviours for which players can be sanctioned. These include excessive appealing, abuse of cricket equipment, use of an audible obscenity ad using language, actions or gestures which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal. These are split into four levels of offences, one being the least serious, and four being the most. It is down to the on-field umpires to report potential incidents to the match referee, who will then investigate its seriousness.
For Level One offences, players can be given between one and two demerit points depending on the seriousness of the wrongdoing, as well as up to a 50 per cent fine from their match-fee. Level Two offences can warrant up to four demerit points, and/or up to two suspensions points plus a hefty fine. Any Level Three or Four offences will result in even higher numbers of demerit and suspension points, going all the way up to a lifetime suspension.
When a player has four or more demerit points on their record within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. Demerit points stay on a player's record for two years from when they are handed down, following which they are erased. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player.
Which team has the most demerit points in world cricket?
We've looked back over the last two years of cricket, dating back to the 2023 World Test Championship final between India and Australia. That encompasses just over a two year period for which demerit points are held on record. The below table shows the number of demerit points awarded to players on each international men's team in that period across all three formats.
It also shows the number of incidents those points came from, with more points than incidents showing more serious offenses occurred. The teams are ordered by the number of points earned per match played in that time period, theoretically indicating the most badly behaved teams in the world.
| Team | Incidents | Points earned | Matches played | Points per match |
| Sri Lanka | 5 | 11 | 92 | 0.120 |
| Afghanistan | 8 | 8 | 67 | 0.119 |
| Ireland | 4 | 4 | 53 | 0.075 |
| West Indies | 6 | 6 | 94 | 0.064 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 4 | 77 | 0.051 |
| India | 5 | 5 | 109 | 0.046 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 4 | 90 | 0.044 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 4 | 94 | 0.043 |
| Bangladesh | 3 | 3 | 98 | 0.031 |
| South Africa | 2 | 2 | 80 | 0.025 |
| Australia | 2 | 2 | 92 | 0.022 |
| England | 2 | 2 | 97 | 0.021 |
From crunching these numbers, Sri Lanka come out as the team with the highest percentage of demerit points awarded over the last two years. The bulk of their demerit points in this period were handed out during their white-ball series against Bangladesh early last year, with a notorious rivalry between the two sides.
Wanindu Hasaranga was given three demerit points for one incident, which was cited as 'personal abuse of an umpire'. Hasaranga had previously been given three demerit points for a similar offence in a series against Afghanistan earlier in the year, and was subsequently banned for two Test matches. Their number of points is more than double the number of incidents they racked-up from, showing their seriousness.
The best behaved teams in world cricket can also be determined from this list. England, Australia and South Africa players have all only been sanctioned with two points in the last two years, with England's points per match score working out as just lower than Australia's. Despite copping some heat following the Manchester Test against India for their on-field behaviour as the match ended in a draw, England have rarely crossed the ICC's line to earn serious sanctions over the last two years.
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