Sports
Afghanistan Captain’s Historic Century Turns Costly: ICC Takes Action After On field Warning Against India
Hashmatullah Shahidi created history with his maiden ODI ton, but repeated pitch violations during the innings have now landed him in trouble with the ICC.
In what should have been a historic and memorable night for Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, the celebrations have been overshadowed by an ICC sanction following his side’s third ODI clash against India in Chennai.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed Shahidi one demerit point for breaching the Code of Conduct after he was found repeatedly running in the danger area of the pitch during his brilliant maiden ODI century on June 20.
The Afghan captain was charged under Article 2.10.10, which deals with batters causing avoidable damage to the pitch. According to reports, Shahidi had already been warned twice by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit before receiving an official warning in the 31st over.
However, the left-handed batter continued to make the same mistake. The final incident came in the 40th over, forcing the umpires to award five penalty runs to India — a rare moment in international cricket that gave the hosts a head start in their chase.
The charge was formally submitted by the on-field umpires along with third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Virender Sharma. Shahidi accepted the offence and the sanction imposed by match referee Ranjan Madugalle, avoiding the need for a formal hearing.
This marks Shahidi’s first demerit point, but the ICC has made it clear: if he accumulates three more points within the next 24 months, he could face suspension and financial penalties.
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Despite the controversy, Shahidi’s innings was a masterclass in resilience. Afghanistan were struggling at 36/4 inside the powerplay when the skipper stepped up. He stitched together a crucial 105-run partnership with Azmatullah Omarzai, who contributed a steady half-century.
Shahidi later added another important stand with veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, but Afghanistan’s middle and lower order collapsed under pressure. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs, with Shahidi being the last man dismissed after scoring a magnificent 102 off 131 balls, including 13 boundaries and one six.
However, India made the chase look effortless.
Openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal dominated from the start, putting together a massive 170-run opening partnership. Rohit played a fluent knock of 79 off 69 balls, while Jaiswal remained unbeaten on a sensational 110 off 86 deliveries, smashing 14 fours and three sixes.
India cruised to victory by nine wickets with over 21 overs to spare, sealing a dominant 3-0 ODI series sweep over Afghanistan.
Even though the result went India’s way, Shahidi’s knock has entered the record books. He became the first Afghanistan captain to score an ODI century against India and only the second Afghan captain ever to register a century in the format, following Asghar Afghan’s 101 against Ireland in 2017.
A night of records, warnings, and what-could-have-been — Shahidi’s innings will be remembered for both its brilliance and the controversy that followed.
