Injured spinner sanctioned by Cricket Australia for 'conduct unbecoming of a player'
O'Keefe fined $10k after hotel incident
Test spinner Stephen O'Keefe has been fined $10,000 by Cricket Australia after he was involved in an incident at a Sydney hotel on Saturday night.
O'Keefe, who was forced home from the current Tour of Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury, was issued with an Infringement Notice by NSW Police for offensive behaviour and being an excluded person remaining in the vicinity of licensed premises after a night at the The Steyne Hotel in the beachside suburb of Manly.
The NSW player was also charged with breaching Article 2.2.11 of CA's Code of Behaviour - conduct unbecoming of a player - and accepted his sanction of a $10,000 fine.
CA says the 31-year-old will also undergo counselling and education as part of his sanction.
It was O'Keefe's first offence under CA's Code of Behaviour within the past 18 months.
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"I know I failed to uphold the high standards expected of a NSW and Australian cricketer and apologise to all concerned," O'Keefe said in a statement.
"I take full responsibility for my actions and accept the sanction handed to me by Cricket Australia."
O'Keefe was selected for just his third Test for the opening clash against Sri Lanka in Kandy, but was forced from the field in the second innings of the match due to a hamstring problem that also forced him out of the rest of the series.
"Steve has had a difficult couple of weeks but that is no excuse," said Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones.
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"We expect a high standard from our players on and off the field and in this case Steve failed to meet those high standards.
"I have spoken to Steve and he is very disappointed with his behaviour.
"He has apologised to the management of The Steyne Hotel and accepts that he will be sanctioned."
Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Team Performance Pat Howard added: "We take a zero-tolerance approach to this type of behaviour from players at any level in Australian Cricket.
"Steve understands our expectations and that we’re extremely disappointed this situation occurred, particularly as he is recovering from an injury."