Zaheer Khan was fined 80 per cent of his match fee on Tuesday after breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during India's record 320-run victory in the second Test against Australia in Mohali.
At a hearing in front of match referee Chris Broad, Khan pleaded guilty to a Level 2 charge under clause C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which states that players "shall at all times conduct play within in the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws of Cricket".
The incident that led to the charge being laid took place after the fall of the first wicket in Australia's second innings on day four of the match, the ICC said in a statement.
Once Australia opener Matthew Hayden was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer ran from his fielding position towards the outgoing batsman. He then circled the batsman and was alleged to have shouted at him in an aggressive manner before returning to his team-mates
"Clearly, this sort of behaviour is not acceptable at any level of cricket -- it showed a lack of respect for the player who had been dismissed," said Broad, who is a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.
"Respect for the opposition was something that we talked about in the pre-series meeting I had with both captains and so it was disappointing that Zaheer behaved in this way.
"However, in considering the penalty, I took into account the fact that Zaheer had a good disciplinary record. He also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very apologetic while also promising not to repeat the offence."
The charge against Zaheer was laid by the umpires.
The penalty for a Level 2 offence is a fine of between 50 and 100 per cent of the player's match fee and/or a maximum ban of one Test match or two ODIs. For Level 2 offences players have the right to appeal against an adjudicator's decision within 24 hours of notification of that decision.
The umpires and India coach Gary Kirsten also attended the hearing which took place after completing of the second Test in Mohali, which India won by a record margin of 320 runs.
Interestingly, once again an Indian player was found to be a victim at the hands of the ICC match referee.
Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had also launched a verbal assault on Zaheer during the first Test in Bangalore, but no action was taken against him.
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