Criticized for century in vain: Why Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was punished by ICC after third ODI vs India

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has been officially reprimanded by the ICC for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third ODI against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.The left-handed batsman was found guilty of breaching Article 2.10.10 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which refers to a batsman causing intentional or preventable damage to the pitch.In an official statement, the ICC confirmed that one demerit point had also been added to Shahidi’s disciplinary record, marking his first offense in 24 months. Shahidi admitted the offense and accepted the sanction proposed by ICC elite panel match referee Ranjan Madugall, eliminating the need for a formal hearing. The charges were leveled by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit along with third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Virender Sharma.The Afghanistan captain has already been unofficially cautioned twice for running onto the pitch while batting. An official warning followed in the 31st over of Afghanistan’s innings. However, Shahidi again ran down the pitch in the 40th over, prompting the umpire to impose a five-run penalty on Afghanistan.Under ICC regulations, a Level 1 breach carries a minimum penalty of an official warning and can carry a maximum penalty of 50 percent of the player’s match fee along with one or two demerit points.

The century goes in vain as India complete a 3-0 draw

Despite the disciplinary setback, Shahidi produced a batting century in the series decider. He scored 102, his first ODI hundred, but Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs.Prasidh Krishna shone with the ball for India and took his maiden five-wicket haul with figures of 5-23. His early burst unraveled the Afghan top order and put the visitors under pressure.India’s response was clinical. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed an unbeaten 110 off 86 deliveries while Rohit Sharma contributed 79 as the hosts cruised to a nine-wicket victory in 128 balls. The opening pair added 170 runs, including five penalty runs awarded during Afghanistan’s innings.The win completed a comprehensive 3-0 clean sweep and handed India their first ODI series triumph under captain Shubman Gill.

Shahidi admits that Afghanistan is lagging behind

Reflecting on the defeat, Shahidi admitted that his side were below the best and acknowledged that playing in India remains a big challenge.“I think we were not good enough. We have talented guys but playing India in India is tough. We will learn from it and improve moving forward,” said Shahidi.

Do you believe Afghanistan can bounce back in the upcoming series against Ireland?

He also pointed out that Afghanistan had been away from ODI cricket for eight months prior to the series and stressed that the team will be looking to bounce back in the upcoming match against Ireland under the new coaching setup.