UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has been docked 15 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for public criticism of the umpiring during last week’s second T20I against Nepal in Kirtipur.
The opener, out lbw first ball to seamer Sompal Kami, felt the delivery would have missed leg stump. At the post-match presentation, with UAE beaten by eight wickets, he said the officials had been “the umpiring was biased”. Those five words triggered an ICC investigation under Article 2.7 of the Code of Conduct, which deals with public criticism of match officials.
Match referee Wendell Labrooy treated the outburst as a Level 1 breach – the lowest tier – but the sanction still stings. Level 1 penalties range from an official reprimand up to half a match fee and two demerit points; Waseem falls somewhere in the middle. Because he accepted the charge there was no formal hearing, which normally keeps the punishment on the lighter side.
On-field umpires Buddhi Pradhan and Vinay Kumar, third umpire Durga Subedi and fourth umpire Sanjay Sigdel jointly laid the charge. It is Waseem’s first offence inside the ICC’s rolling 24-month window, so the single demerit point will not immediately threaten a suspension. Four points in that period convert to a one-match ban.
Former UAE all-rounder Ahmed Raza, commentating on local radio, called the affair “unnecessary noise” but added that emotions do run high in short-form cricket. The squad travels to Kathmandu on Friday for the deciding match, and management insist the episode is “parked” as they try to level the series.
