Rishabh Pant showed anger in front of the umpire regarding the change of ball.
India’s Test vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant got into trouble for disagreeing with the umpire during the Leeds Test. Although he escaped a one-match ban, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially reprimanded him and added a demerit point to his disciplinary record. This point could cause trouble for him in the future. The incident happened when Pant threw the ball on the ground in anger after the umpire rejected his appeal to change the ball.
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Violation of ICC Code of Conduct
The ICC said in its media release that Pant was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct on the third day (June 22, 2025) of the first Test against England at Headingley. This violation occurred under Article 2.8 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to expressing disagreement with the umpire’s decision in an international match. The incident occurred at the end of the 61st over of England’s first innings, when the umpires checked the ball with a ball gauge and refused to change it. Pant expressed his displeasure by throwing the ball on the ground in response.
Rishabh Pant admitted the offense, no formal hearing took place
Pant admitted his behavior and also accepted the punishment proposed by match referee Richie Richardson. Due to this, there was no need for a formal hearing. Pant was accused of this by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Chris Gaffney, third umpire Sharafuddaula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Mike Burns. According to ICC rules, the punishment for a Level 1 violation includes a minimum official reprimand, a maximum fine of 50% of the match fee and one or two demerit points.
Threat of demerit point
This was the first violation in 24 months for Pant, for which he received a demerit point. If a player accumulates four demerit points within two years, he can be suspended for one Test or two ODIs/T20 matches. Pant will now have to be more careful about his behavior.
