Broad fined for dissent at umpire's decision

Stuart Broad, the England fast bowler, has been fined 50% of his match fee for showing dissent towards an umpire's decision during the second ODI against Sri Lanka after using "unacceptable and offensive" remarks at Billy Bowden.

He was found guilty of a Level 2 breach of Article 2.2.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Broad admitted to the offence after it had been brought to the match referee Alan Hurst's notice by the on-field umpires, Bowden and Richard Kettleborough. There was no need for a hearing and he was promptly fined.

"The charge related to an incident in the final over of the Sri Lanka innings when Broad appealed for an lbw [against Jeevan Mendis], which was turned down. As he left the field he made some unacceptable and offensive remarks to umpire Bowden about that decision," an ICC statement said.

"Accepting an umpire's decision is an essential feature of cricket and part of the game's unique spirit," Hurst said. "Stuart's behaviour was not acceptable in any form of cricket, and as a well-established member of his country's national side and current captain of the Twenty20 international team, he must take responsibility for what he says and does."

All Level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a fine equivalent to 50% of a player's match fee up to a maximum penalty of a suspension for two ODIs or two Twenty20 internationals or one Test.

This isn't the first time Broad has been fined for a disciplinary breach. He had to forego 50% of his match fee after hurling a ball at Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Zulqarnain Haider during the Edgbaston Test last year.

It also comes little more than a week after Broad admitted his captaincy of the World Twenty20 team means he'll have to be on his guard.

"I'll certainly be watching my behaviour, but to be fair I think those occasions have become rarer and rarer in the last year," he said. "But I'm certainly not going to lose my passion for the game, I think it's something I thrive on.

"You always have to be aware of what you are doing. I think it will be pretty hectic and I'll have to be thinking about a lot of things. But the key is when I get the ball in my hand I don't change much, have a presence and deliver my skills."