England skipper Ben Stokes could be in for yet another sanction after he was seen tapping New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner’s wristband, which, if deemed inappropriate physical contact, can lead to disciplinary
action.
Santner became Stokes’ third wicket of the morning after the England skipper had already removed Daryl Mitchell and Will O’Rourke. Attempting to evade a short-pitched ball, Santner got himself into an awkward position and couldn’t keep his hands out of the way.
The ball appeared to brush his glove before ballooning to Jacob Bethell at gully, who completed a comfortable catch. The umpire gave Santner out, with the latter reviewing straight away.
Replays showed the ball clipping the upper part of the wristband on Santner’s glove, which is deemed part of the bat under the ICC’s playing conditions. Santner, however, was unconvinced that he had gloved the ball and opted for a review.
After examining the footage, the third umpire upheld the on-field decision, handing Stokes his 250th Test wicket.
While the third umpire reviewed the dismissal, Santner and Stokes exchanged a few words, with the former appearing to suggest that the ball had struck his arm guard rather than his glove.
Stokes responded by tapping the wristband of Santner’s glove, indicating the spot where he believed the ball had made contact.
That gesture could leave Stokes open to scrutiny under the ICC Code of Conduct. The Code prohibits ‘any form of inappropriate physical contact’ with another cricketer or an umpire, meaning the incident could be reviewed by match officials.
“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 code says.
