Andrew Rasemene and Malcolm Nofal suspended for on-field physical altercation
Incident took place during a One-Day Cup Division 2 match between KwaZulu-Natal Inland and Northern Cape on December 8 last year
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Feb-2023
CSA said the decision to suspend the players was taken "as a result of a disciplinary report lodged by the umpires" • Getty Images
Northern Cape Heat's Andrew Rasemene and KwaZulu-Natal Inland's Malcolm Nofal have both been suspended for short periods from first-class cricket by CSA following a physical altercation during their One-Day Cup Division 2 match, played in Kimberley on December 8 last year.
Video footage of the incident, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, shows Rasemene, the non-striker at the time, striding towards the celebrating Tuskers players after the dismissal of Grant Thompson. The umpires then rush towards Rasemene, and there appears to be a scuffle between Rasemene and some of the opposition players.
While the footage, taken from one static camera, doesn't provide more details, the umpires' report, also accessed by ESPNcricinfo, mentions that Rasemene "grabbed him [Nofal] by the throat".
A CSA statement confirmed that the decision to suspend the two players was taken "as a result of a disciplinary report lodged by the umpires, Jurie Sadler and Roderick Ellis, for an alleged breach of clause 6.3.1 and clause 6.5.1 of the Code of Conduct, respectively". Clause 6.3.1, which relates to Nofal's offence, is for "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play", while Rasemene's offence, 6.5.1, relates to "physical assault of another participant or spectator".
Nofal will now be ineligible for the upcoming 4-Day Series match against Eastern Cape Iinyathi, scheduled for February 9 to 12, and Rasemene will be ineligible for the forthcoming CSA Division 2 4-Day Series matches against Eastern Storm, from February 23 to 26, and against Garden Route Badgers, from March 2 to 5.