Reece Topley has been fined by the ICC after he smashed a chair in anger following an injury during the first T20I between England and West Indies in Barbados.
Topley was fined 15 per cent of his match fee in relation to the incident, after he jarred his right knee during his delivery stride in the third over of his spell. Prior to that Topley had conceded 26 runs during the spell, but went off the field after attempting to continue his over following a short rain delay. He left the field after bowling one further delivery and was replaced by Jamie Overton to bowl the rest of his over.
As Topley walked up the stairs to the England dressing room, he was seen picking up a chair and smashing it on the handrail of the staircase. Topley was involved in a similar incident during the 50-over World Cup last year in Mumbai, when he hit a chair out of his way when he walked off the field with an injury that ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
The left-arm quick's career has been littered with injuries, including a rolled ankle which ruled him out of the 2022 T20 World Cup, and a near-career ending back stress fracture. There has been no update on the severity of Topley's most recent injury, but he did not play in the second T20I of the series in Barbados.
With his third T20I hundred in the first game against West Indies, Phil Salt has entered the exclusive group of batters with the most centuries in men's T20Is.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 10, 2024
Check list here ➡️ https://t.co/bAFAla89zu pic.twitter.com/fjZu4d9Gew
The ICC's criteria for sanctioning incidents such as Topley's falls under a Level One breach of Article 2.2: 'abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match'.
Topley admitted the offence and accepted the fine proposed by match referee, Richie Richardson. One demerit point has also been added to Topley's record, which is currently the only demerit point he has. When a player reaches four or more demerit points in a 24-month period, they face a ban.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
