Benn Banned For Entering South African Dressing Room

Benn Banned For Entering South African Dressing Room

Banned: Sulieman Benn

©Action Images / Scott Heavey

West Indian left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn has been banned for up to two international matches after it was revealed he entered the South African dressing room during the third Test in Barbados.

Benn, who has already served an international ban following a mid-pitch altercation with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson in Australia in December 2009, pleaded guilty to a Level 2 breach of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct.

He entered the dressing room at lunch on the third day, going on to provoke South African players, which resulted in a heated exchange.

Later in the match, South African fast bowler Dale Steyn spat in the direction of Benn and was subsequently fined the entirety of his match fee.

“Whatever had gone on before Sulieman entered the Proteas’ dressingroom, while helping to explain his behaviour, cannot justify it,” match referee Jeff Crowe said.

“Clearly, Sulieman has acted inappropriately here and in a way that is contrary to the spirit of cricket. We like the game to be played in a competitive way but, whether on or off the field, players must treat the opposition and the game itself with respect. That did not happen on this occasion and Sulieman has paid the price.

“Sulieman’s punishment was more severe than it might otherwise have been because this was not his first offence in the past 12 months,” Crowe added, referring to the incident in Perth, which resulted in Benn missing two ODIs.

He will now miss either a Test match, two ODIs or two Twenty20 Internationals as per ICC regulations.

In addition to his ban from the ICC last year, Benn was fined 100% of his match fee by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) after an on-pitch disagreement with captain Chris Gayle during the fourth ODI against South Africa in Dominica.

© Cricket World 2010

Breaking news, score updates and interviews on Cricket World Live Radio, get the latest from Cricket World® with Facebook, twitter and YouTube, keep up with the action with the latest cricket TV highlights and interviews, enter our fantasy cricket competition and win some great prizes or play some fantastic cricket games.