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Watson fined, Gambhir hearing today

Special Correspondent

— Photo: S. Subramanium

PLEASING SIGHT: Despite the run-ins with Shane Watson and Simon Katich, Brett Lee is ready with his congratulations for Gautam Gambhir’s double century.

New Delhi: Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee after breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Test against India in New Delhi.

In the case of Gautam Gambhir, who was charged with a more serious violation than Watson’s Level 1 charge, the hearing has been adjourned until Friday morning to allow match referee Chris Broad to review the evidence.

Gambhir has pleaded guilty to a C1 Level 2 offence of not playing within the Spirit of Cricket.

Level 2 penalties range from a fine of between 50 per cent of the player’s match fee up to 100 per cent and/or a ban of one Test or two ODIs.

The incident that led to the charges being laid took place during the 51st over of India’s first innings on day one of the Test match when there was a coming-together of Watson and Gambhir.

After considering the evidence, Broad found Watson guilty of verbally engaging with Gambhir in a manner that violated the spirit of the game. In cases of Level 1 offences, the match referee’s decision is final and binding and, as such, there is no right of appeal.

Present at the hearing was the player, the match referee, the on-field umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar, third umpire Suresh Shastri and fourth umpire Sameer Bandekar, Australia team coach Tim Nielsen and Australia team manager Steve Bernard.

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