Ben Stokes could be facing a ban by the International Cricket Council after the all-rounder was involved in a foul-mouthed altercation with a fan on the first day of the fourth Test against South Africa in Johannesburg.
As he was walking off, having been dismissed for two in the final session, Stokes was caught on television coverage responding to a fan off-camera, shouting: “Come and say it to me outside the ground you ****ing four-eyed ****.”
It was not audible on camera what the spectator said to Stokes but witnesses in the area suggested to the Guardian that a middle-aged male supporter wearing a South Africa one-day shirt had walked more than 50 metres to abuse Stokes, allegedly calling him a “ginger ****” and referencing the singer Ed Sheeran. Given Specsavers are the main sponsor of Test match cricket in England, the vice-captain’s response was not really on brand.
Depending on how the match referee, Andy Pycroft, interprets the incident, Stokes could be charged with the level three offence of “Threat of assault on another player, player support personnel, umpire or Match Referee or any other person (including a Spectator) during an international match.”
That carries a punishment of five to six demerit points, which would trigger a ban of either one Test or two white-ball matches. Given Stokes’ next international assignment after this Test is the T20 series that concludes this tour, any level three charge would apply to those matches.
It is more likely that Stokes, who currently has a clear disciplinary record with the ICC, will be charged with the level one offence of using an “audible obscenity” – which would see him given one demerit point. Bans are only triggered when a player accumulates four demerit points or more. It is understood that the ICC is unlikely to comment on the issue until late on Friday or possibly not until Saturday.
Stokes was caught by Rassie van der Dussen, off the bowling of Anrich Nortje, leaving England 157 for four. England advanced to 192 without further loss before bad light stopped play.
After the close of play, Stokes was subsequently pictured signing autographs by the same tunnel where the incident took place.
The 28-year-old was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December after a summer when he played key roles during England’s first-ever World Cup win and the Ashes. Coincidentally, Sheeran, who the BBC described as Stokes’ biggest fan in its promotional tweet, announced the cricketer’s Spoty nomination.
Coming after Jofra Archer was racially abused by a spectator during the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in November, this latest incident will again raise questions about the behaviour of supporters and the inability of stewards to identify offenders and eject them from grounds. The man who abused Archer received a two-year ground ban after being tracked down. The culprit of the admittedly less serious abuse of Stokes remained in the stadium and was not either identified or ejected.
Beuran Hendricks, the South Africa seamer who is making his Test debut at the Wanderers, said: “It’s a public sport so I think if fans are coming hard, we certainly don’t condone it as players, we expect more from fans, we are all trying to enjoy the game.
“We ask the fans for respect and make sure that they are enjoying the game as much as we are. We can’t stop what the fans are doing, but we need to make sure we zone in on what is happening on the park and not really interact with anything.”
England’s wicketkeeper Jos Buttler apologised after the second Test in Cape Town for calling South Africa’s Vernon Philander a “****ing knobhead” while Philander was batting. He was fined 15 percent of his match fee and handed one demerit point.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...rcation-with-fan-england-cricket-south-africa
As he was walking off, having been dismissed for two in the final session, Stokes was caught on television coverage responding to a fan off-camera, shouting: “Come and say it to me outside the ground you ****ing four-eyed ****.”
It was not audible on camera what the spectator said to Stokes but witnesses in the area suggested to the Guardian that a middle-aged male supporter wearing a South Africa one-day shirt had walked more than 50 metres to abuse Stokes, allegedly calling him a “ginger ****” and referencing the singer Ed Sheeran. Given Specsavers are the main sponsor of Test match cricket in England, the vice-captain’s response was not really on brand.
Depending on how the match referee, Andy Pycroft, interprets the incident, Stokes could be charged with the level three offence of “Threat of assault on another player, player support personnel, umpire or Match Referee or any other person (including a Spectator) during an international match.”
That carries a punishment of five to six demerit points, which would trigger a ban of either one Test or two white-ball matches. Given Stokes’ next international assignment after this Test is the T20 series that concludes this tour, any level three charge would apply to those matches.
It is more likely that Stokes, who currently has a clear disciplinary record with the ICC, will be charged with the level one offence of using an “audible obscenity” – which would see him given one demerit point. Bans are only triggered when a player accumulates four demerit points or more. It is understood that the ICC is unlikely to comment on the issue until late on Friday or possibly not until Saturday.
Stokes was caught by Rassie van der Dussen, off the bowling of Anrich Nortje, leaving England 157 for four. England advanced to 192 without further loss before bad light stopped play.
After the close of play, Stokes was subsequently pictured signing autographs by the same tunnel where the incident took place.
The 28-year-old was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December after a summer when he played key roles during England’s first-ever World Cup win and the Ashes. Coincidentally, Sheeran, who the BBC described as Stokes’ biggest fan in its promotional tweet, announced the cricketer’s Spoty nomination.
Coming after Jofra Archer was racially abused by a spectator during the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in November, this latest incident will again raise questions about the behaviour of supporters and the inability of stewards to identify offenders and eject them from grounds. The man who abused Archer received a two-year ground ban after being tracked down. The culprit of the admittedly less serious abuse of Stokes remained in the stadium and was not either identified or ejected.
Beuran Hendricks, the South Africa seamer who is making his Test debut at the Wanderers, said: “It’s a public sport so I think if fans are coming hard, we certainly don’t condone it as players, we expect more from fans, we are all trying to enjoy the game.
“We ask the fans for respect and make sure that they are enjoying the game as much as we are. We can’t stop what the fans are doing, but we need to make sure we zone in on what is happening on the park and not really interact with anything.”
England’s wicketkeeper Jos Buttler apologised after the second Test in Cape Town for calling South Africa’s Vernon Philander a “****ing knobhead” while Philander was batting. He was fined 15 percent of his match fee and handed one demerit point.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...rcation-with-fan-england-cricket-south-africa
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