By Zainab Shafiq 
Harmanpreet Kaur is facing potential penalties in the aftermath of India’s thrilling tie against Bangladesh in the third and final ODI. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to release an official statement on the exact punishment, but it appears that Harmanpreet may become the first female cricketer to be found guilty of a Level 2 breach of the ICC code of conduct, pertaining to player behavior.
During the match, after being declared caught at slip by umpire Tanvir Ahmed, Harmanpreet displayed her frustration by smashing the stumps with her bat and seemed to argue with the umpire, followed by a gesture towards the crowd. The post-match presentation witnessed her criticism of the umpiring standards, labeling them as “pathetic.”
Sources reveal that the match officials have recommended three demerit points for damaging equipment and one demerit point for public criticism of the match officials. The final decision will rest with the ICC, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) engaging in discussions with the ICC regarding the matter.
According to the ICC’s rules, if a player accumulates four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they will be converted into suspension points. A range of four to seven demerit points results in two suspension points, leading to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, depending on the player’s schedule. If Harmanpreet faces suspension, it will likely occur during the upcoming home series against South Africa, consisting of three ODIs and three T20Is scheduled for September-October.
This is not the first time Harmanpreet has earned demerit points; in the 2017 ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia, she received a demerit point for flinging her helmet to the ground and exchanging verbal remarks with Deepti Sharma after completing a century.
Instances of players breaking stumps in reaction to umpiring decisions are rare in cricket. Coincidentally, the most recent case also occurred in Bangladesh, involving all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. He was suspended for three matches and fined during a Dhaka Premier League T20 match in 2021 for kicking the stumps in response to an lbw appeal rejection and later ripping out all three stumps at the bowler’s end during rain interruptions.
In the ICC’s list of code of conduct breaches since 2016, 29 women cricketers, including Harmanpreet and Indian cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy, have been found guilty of offenses.
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