Shafali Verma reprimanded by ICC after dropped catch against Zimbabwe

India vice-captain Shafali Verma received an official ICC reprimand and one demerit point after throwing the ball to the ground during the second women’s T20 international against Zimbabwe in Raipur on Sunday, 18 October, according to reports published on 20 October. The incident followed a dropped catch in a match India won by nine wickets.

What happened during Zimbabwe’s innings

Verma was fielding at mid-off in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when she dropped a catch offered by Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off Sree Charani’s bowling. She then threw the ball to the ground in frustration, according to Lokmat Times and WION. The sanction concerned that reaction to the missed chance.

How the ICC sanction was settled

Verma admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee G.S. Lakshmi, the reports said, so no formal hearing was required. The point was added to Verma’s disciplinary record; the reports describe this as her first offence within a 24-month period. That record matters because the demerit point remains part of the sanction alongside the official reprimand.

WION reported that on-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, third umpire Anna Harris and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan levelled the charge. Lakshmi, a member of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, proposed the penalty that Verma accepted. Their roles explain how the charge moved from the match officials to the referee’s sanction.

WION and Outlook India describe the Level 1 penalty range as an official reprimand or a fine of up to 50% of a player’s match fee, plus one or two demerit points. The reported penalty for Verma was at the reprimand and one-point end of that range. The reports describe a disciplinary sanction against a player after India’s nine-wicket win in Raipur.