West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has been penalized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his public criticism of umpire Adrian Holdstock following the second day of the first Test against Australia in Barbados. Sammy has been fined 15% of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. In addition, one demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record, marking his first offense within a 24-month period.
The charge was brought by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nitin Menon, third umpire Adrian Holdstock, and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite. Sammy admitted to the offense and accepted the sanction proposed by Javagal Srinath of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, negating the need for a formal hearing.
The ICC stated that Sammy was penalized for his comments made during a post-day's play media interaction, where he criticized one of the match officials in reference to multiple incidents throughout the day's play. His remarks violated Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to "public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an International Match or any Player, Player Support Personnel, Match Official or team participating in any International Match". Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player's match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Sammy's frustration stemmed from several contentious DRS (Decision Review System) calls made by TV umpire Adrian Holdstock during the first two days of the Test at Kensington Oval. He felt that the West Indies were on the "sharp end of the stick" regarding two caught-behind decisions. One incident involved Travis Head, who survived an appeal, and the other involved Shai Hope, who was given out. Sammy also referenced two LBW referrals involving West Indies captain Roston Chase and Australia's Cameron Green.
Sammy said he had a conversation with the match referee to understand the process and was seeking consistency in decision-making. He stated that when there's doubt, the decision should be consistent across the board and that the images suggested the decisions weren't fair to both teams. He also mentioned that he had asked for a meeting with the match referee, acknowledging that humans make mistakes but emphasizing the need for fairness.
Several controversial decisions by Holdstock sparked debate. One incident involved a caught-behind appeal against Travis Head off Joseph's bowling on Day 1, where there was doubt whether the ball had bounced on the finger of Hope's gloves. On Day 2, Australia were left frustrated when Roston Chase survived an LBW appeal off Josh Hazlewood. Later, Chase was given out LBW off Pat Cummins, a decision with which Ian Bishop, commentating, strongly disagreed.
West Indies captain Roston Chase also expressed his dissatisfaction with the umpiring decisions. He felt that there were many questionable calls that didn't go their way and that it was frustrating because players are penalized harshly for mistakes, while officials don't seem to face any consequences for wrong decisions.
Despite the controversy, Sammy accepted the sanction, preventing a formal hearing. The West Indies lost the first Test by 159 runs. The second Test will begin on Thursday at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's, Grenada.
