Peterson officially reprimanded after admitting breaching ICC Code of Conduct

South Africa's Robin Peterson has been officially reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his country's ICC Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Guyana on Wednesday.

Peterson pleaded guilty to the Level 1 charge, laid by the four umpires under clause 1.2 of the Code which refers to "Abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings".

The charge related to Peterson's reaction after he scored the winning runs in his side's one-wicket win. The player was seen to hit the stumps at the non-striker's end with his bat as he ran off the ground.

In explaining his decision to reprimand the player following a hearing on Thursday afternoon, ICC match referee Jeff Crowe said: "Robin apologized to the umpires on the field after the incident and the umpires expressed the view that there was no malice involved in his actions.

"Also, I accepted that it was a momentary mistake in the heat of the moment, an out-pouring of relief after a tense and dramatic finish to the match.

"However, all players have a responsibility to maintain the highest standard of behaviour, no matter what the situation, as that is part and parcel of being a high-profile sportsman and hitting the stumps with the bat is not acceptable at any time.

"And as well as stressing that point to Robin, I also explained that his action could easily have damaged a very expensive and highly sensitive piece of television equipment, the stump camera," added Mr Crowe.

All 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.

The charge was brought by on-field umpires Steve Bucknor and Daryl Harper, third umpire Mark Benson and fourth official Simon Taufel.

Mr Crowe reached his conclusion after a hearing attended by the player, as well as South Africa team manager Goolam Raja and the four umpires.

The match referee's decision in all Level 1 breaches is final and binding.