Shoaib Akhtar fined 40% of match fee

Shoaib Akhtar has been fined 40% of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching ICC rules in the first Test, which is currently being contested by Australia and Pakistan at Perth.

The match umpires Billy Bowden, Rudi Koertzen and Steve David charged Shoaib with Level One misconduct for pointing Matthew Hayden towards the dressing-room when he trapped him lbw on Thursday. Celebrating Hayden's dismissal for 4 in the third over, Shoaib pointed three times to the dressing-room with both fingers. He went on to take 5 for 99 as Australia made 381.

Shoaib's conduct breaches section 1.6 of the ICC Code, which says that a member of the fielding team may not engage in "pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggressive manner [...] upon the dismissal of a batsman". The ICC match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, announced the decision to fine Shoaib on Friday, after a disciplinary hearing.