South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba has been officially reprimanded by the⁤ International ⁤Cricket Council (ICC) for a gesture made during the recent Women’s Cricket World Cup match against India‍ on Thursday, October 5, 2023. The incident occurred in the 17th over of India’s innings following the dismissal of batter harleen Deol.

Provocative Gesture Leads to sanction

Mlaba waved goodbye to Deol after securing the wicket, a gesture the ICC resolute “could have provoked an aggressive response” from ⁣the dismissed ⁢batter. The action was deemed a breach of Article 2.5 of the ICC’s ⁤Code of Conduct, which addresses language, actions, or gestures that disparage or perhaps incite aggression upon a batter’s dismissal during an International Match.

Match Officials and Player Acceptance

The charge was leveled by on-field umpires Jacquline Williams and Kim Cotton, with support from third⁣ umpire Candace le Borde and fourth umpire Sue Redfern. Mlaba acknowledged ⁣the offense and fully accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Trudy Anderson, alongside the official reprimand.

Demerit Point System⁣ and Potential Suspension

Mlaba has received one demerit point, which will remain on her record for a period of 24 months. ‍The ICC’s demerit point system stipulates that accumulation of four or more points within this timeframe could result in a suspension – either ⁤one Test match or two One Day International (ODI) or Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, depending on the format.

South Africa’s Victory

Despite the ⁣incident,South Africa secured a thrilling victory over India,successfully chasing down a target of 252 to achieve their second win in three games of the World Cup. Mlaba contributed with the ball,taking 2 wickets for 46 runs during the match.