West Indies quick Jayden Seales has been docked 15 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for the animated send-off that followed Pat Cummins’ wicket on the opening day of the Barbados Test against Australia.
Cummins, who had counter-attacked for 28 from 18 balls, miscued a drive to mid-off in the 55th over of Australia’s first innings. As the Australia captain walked off, Seales turned and pointed towards the pavilion. Match referee Sir Richie Richardson judged the gesture a breach of ICC Code of Conduct article 2.5, covering “language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”.
Seales finished with an excellent 5 for 60, yet the moment of frustration became the talking point. After stumps he told local reporters he “did not really mean anything” by the signal, adding: “Pat hit a couple of good shots off me and I just showed him where the dressing room was and there wasn’t really anything in it.” Because the 23-year-old already had one offence on his record, his tally moves to two demerit points inside 24 months.
The incident did not derail a low-scoring contest. Australia were rolled for 180 before the hosts limped to 57 for 4 overnight. Day two saw West Indies bowled out for 190 amid a string of tight – and, in their view, questionable – television umpire calls from Adrian Holdstock. Coach Daren Sammy later voiced his concerns, although he stopped short of a formal complaint.
At 92 for 4 in their second innings, Australia remain vulnerable, but Seales’ fine spell – and fine – will be remembered whatever the final result.
