Australian White-Ball Bowling Specialist Sanctioned for Using Abusive Language in AUS vs SA 1st ODI

Australia are taking on South Africa in a 3-match ODI series that started on August 19. The first match was a disaster for the home team as they lost the match by 98 runs. It was an incredible batting performance by the visitors, but the bowling unit was on fire. They didn't allow any of the batters to settle down, making it tough for them to form partnerships and score runs in the second innings.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh stood till the end to help the team win, but failed miserably. The next match is scheduled on August 22, and Australia would hope to win it and take their revenge on the visitors. Moreover, the Proteas batting unit has improved a lot with the inclusion of Dewald Brevis, who made his debut in the previous match. The Aussies found a way to stop him from scoring runs, but couldn't snatch the game away from them.

Meanwhile, this wasn't the only bad news that Australia got that day. Spin bowler Adam Zampa, who didn't have a good day with the ball, faced a serious punishment after his behaviour was pointed out by the umpires and the match referee. The result saw Adam Zampa fined after the match.

Why was Adam Zampa Sanctioned in AUS vs SA 1st ODI?

Australia's one of the best spinners, Adam Zampa, was punished by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the "use of an audible obscenity". Since it was his first offence in 24 months, he was given one demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. It was quite an unfortunate event that happened in the 37th over, when South Africa were batting.

While the bowler was bowling, things got heated up after an overthrow and a misfield, and he was heard using inappropriate words near the stump mic. That is how the umpires and the match referee caught him breaching the code of conduct. He was charged under Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "use of an audible obscenity during an International Match."

With Adam Zampa sanctioned, the spinner admitted his mistake, so there was no hearing with the match referee, Andy Pycroft. Level 1 offences have a minimum penalty of a reprimand and a maximum of a 50% fine of a player's match fee, along with one or two demerit points. The reprimand was significant as Zampa represents one of the best cricket teams in the world.

Keshav Maharaj's Five-wicket Haul Helps Proteas to Victory in AUS vs SA 1st ODI

On winning the toss, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh decided to bowl first. His decision turned into a huge mistake as the openers, Aiden Markram (82) and Ryan Rickelton (33), formed a 92-run partnership. Despite losing Rickelton after that, the Proteas kept on scoring runs thanks to captain Temba Bavuma (65) and William Breetzke (57). They even formed a 92-run partnership, helping South Africa reach a respectable score. In the middle order, Wiaan Mulder's responsible innings of 31 off 26 balls was extremely needed as none of the other middle order batters touched the 10-run mark. It was Travis Head who claimed four wickets for Australia.

When Australia came to bat, the openers gave a good start and scored 60 runs in seven overs. However, that wasn't enough for the home team as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. A huge credit goes to South African spinner Keshav Maharaj for an incredible performance throughout the game. He cleaned the middle order entirely, taking five wickets. Even though Marsh (88) was standing till the last, he couldn't save his team from losing. For an outstanding bowling performance, Maharaj was given the Player of the Match award. He used his experience and tricked the batters in the first match, and he hoped to continue his performance in the second as well.