Mark Butcher fined 20 per cent of match fee by ICC Match Referee

International Cricket Council (ICC) Match Referee Wasim Raja today fined and officially reprimanded England batsman Mark Butcher for an incident that occurred during the third and final day of the third Orange Test match against Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth (Sunday 1 December).

Butcher was charged under level one part 1.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct which covers "Abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings" having struck the stumps with his bat after he was dismissed LBW to Glenn McGrath.

After a hearing that was attended by the player and Match Referee, as well as on-field umpires Steve Bucknor and Rudi Koertzen, third umpire Daryl Harper and England captain Nasser Hussain, Butcher was officially reprimanded and fined 20 per cent of his match fee.

The maximum fine available to the Match Referee for level one offences is 50 per cent of a player's match fee, but Wasim Raja took into account the player's excellent previous disciplinary record.

Butcher pleaded guilty to the charge, expressed regret at the incident and stressed that his action was one of disappointment rather than dissent over the LBW decision.