Moeen Ali, an all-rounder for England, will be fined 25% of his match money from the first Ashes Test against Australia after being found guilty of violating the ICC Code of Conduct.
Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with acting in a manner that is against the spirit of the game, was determined to have been broken by Moeen Ali.
For violating Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, Moeen’s disciplinary record has been updated with one demerit point. This was the first violation for the England all-rounder in the previous 24 months.
At the boundary line while fielding, Moeen was observed putting a drying agent to his bowling hand during the 89th over of Australia’s first innings at Edgbaston. There was no need for a formal hearing because Moeen admitted the wrongdoing and agreed to the punishment Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees recommended.
The Match Referee was satisfied that the cream was given to the finger simply to dry his hands when he decided to sanction the player in addition to the Level 1 sanction he imposed. Because the cream was not given to the ball as an artificial substance, it did not alter the ball’s state, which would have violated Article 41.3 of the ICC playing conditions – Unfair Play – The Match Ball – Altering its state.
Ahsan Raza and Marais Erasmus, third umpire Chris Gaffaney, and fourth umpire Mike Burns were the on-field umpires who made the accusation. Level 1 violations are subject to one or two demerit points, an official reprimand, and a maximum fine of 50% of the player’s match fee.