Broad fined by ICC for frustrated tweet

England quick Stuart Broad has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee after tweeting his frustration regarding the controversial dismissal of Alex Hales on day one of the fourth Test against Pakistan at The Oval.

Hales had earlier been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for paying a visit to the third umpire’s room and then making some “inappropriate comments” as he left.

The England opener was furious after he was given out to a low catch off Mohammad Amir early in England's first innings, shaking his head and uttering some choice words as he walked off the ground on the opening morning.

A diving Yasir Shah had claimed the catch and didn't hesitate in celebrating but the England opener stood his ground. Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford's 'soft' decision was out, though he referred it to the third umpire Joel Wilson to confirm.

In the absence of a close-up of the incident, umpire Wilson, whose voice as he came to his verdict was audible through the television commentary, said "there's not enough evidence to suggest the catch is either clear or not clean" and advised Oxenford to stick with his original decision.

Broad was straight on Twitter after play, questioning Dean Wilson, the cricket correspondent for English newspaper The Daily Mirror, about an earlier tweet announcing the dismissal of Hales.

While television replays had indeed failed to get a closer view replay of the catch, Hales also opted to voice his opinion on social media in response to Broad, attaching a zoomed-in picture, inferring the ball had touched the ground before Yasir could get his hands around it.

Hales has not yet been punished for his post.

Broad admitted to the offence and was found to have breached Article 2.1.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, relating to “Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an international match”.

Because he accepted the sanction proposed by ICC match referee Richie Richardson, there was no need for a formal hearing.

 “One of the most fundamental principles of the sport is to always accept and respect an umpire’s decision,” Richardson said in a statement.

“In this case, Stuart ignored this golden rule and made inappropriate comments in regard to the umpires’ decision.”

England are fighting for survival in the ongoing clash, going to stumps on day three at 4-88 and still 126 runs behind Pakistan.