Hall receives official reprimand

Andrew Hall, the South African allrounder, has been given an official reprimand for "gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggressive manner" during the third day of the first Test against England at Port Elizabeth. This is a level one breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, and in such circumstances, the decision of Clive Lloyd, the match referee, is final and binding.

Darrell Hair and Simon Taufel, the on-field umpires, and Ian Howell, the TV umpire, brought the incident to the attention of Lloyd. He decided to issue the official reprimand after a meeting attended by Hall, the South African team manager, and the match officials. A level one violation of the ICC code carries a maximum penalty of 50% of a player's match fee, but Hall avoided that.

Lloyd explained: "Players are not permitted to gesture towards the pavilion in such a manner, and although Hall provided an explanation of his actions I found him in breach of the ICC Code."