India captain MS Dhoni will miss the fourth Test with Australia due to a one-match ban for his side's slow over-rates.
The suspension was mandatory due to ICC regulations that enforce a ban for two offences within the space of 12 months.
India, trailing Australia 3-0 in the four-match series, will now be skippered by vice-captain Virender Sehwag in the final Test of the series in Adelaide which starts on January 24.
Wriddhiman Saha is set to take on the wicketkeeping duties.
Dhoni's first offence was against West Indies in Barbados in the fourth Test of the series last year.
He then escaped a ban after India fell behind the requisite 15 overs per hour run rate on the next tour against England at Lord's, when there were deemed to have been mitigating circumstances.
"The India team has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third Test against Australia in Perth, Western Australia, and as this is the second offence within 12 months India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been suspended for the next Test match in line with the ICC Code of Conduct," a statement read.
"Ranjan Madugalle, chief ICC Match Referee, imposed the fines after India was ruled to be two overs short of its target at the end of the match after time allowances had been taken into consideration.
"The offence is contrary to Article 2.5.1 of the Code which relates to over-rate offences. Dhoni pleaded guilty to the charge and the subsequent penalties were accepted both by Dhoni and India."
Dhoni was also fined 40 per cent of his match fee and the rest of the players fined 20 per cent of theirs.
Sehwag is unbeaten in three games skippering India.
In 2005, with Rahul Dravid out, he led the side to a 259-run over Sri Lanka. In 2009, deputising for Dhoni, they drew with New Zealand and then in Bangladesh in 2010, again with the wicketkeeper-batsman not in the side, India won by 113 runs.
AAP/ABC
Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia First posted January 15, 2012 20:57:14
No comments:
Post a Comment