Brett Lee fined 75% of match fee

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has been fined 75% of his gross match fee after being found guilty of breaching points C2 and C5 of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct, it was announced today.

Those clauses are as follows:

"C2. Players and/or Team Officials shall at no time engage in conduct unbecoming to their status which could bring them or the game of cricket into disrepute.

"C5. Players and/or Team Officials shall not use crude or abusive language nor make offensive gestures."

The charges related to Lee's behaviour after he dismissed New Zealand batsman Shane Bond on the fourth day of the third Orange Test match in Perth, and he was called to a hearing following play that was also attended by captain Stephen Waugh, team manager Steve Bernard and the two standing umpires, Darrell Hair and Ian Robinson.

Match referee Jackie Hendriks said: "I have taken into consideration Brett's previously unblemished record, his obvious regret at the act and his apology to Shane Bond immediately afterwards.

"But such a blatant and public disregard for the Code of Conduct which also goes contrary to the tenets of the spirit of the game as expressed in the preamble to the Laws of the Game, leaves me with no alternative but to impose the maximum fine allowable, 75% of the player's gross match fee."