India pacer Ishant Sharma has been sanctioned by the ICC for breaching Level 1 of its Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel.

England batsman Dawid Malan was given a send-off by the bowler during England’s second innings in the first Test against India. The incident attracted the ire of the match referee Jeff Crowe. As a result, Ishant has been fined 15 per cent of his match while a demerit point has been added to the cricketer’s disciplinary record as well.

Ishant was found to have violated Article 2.1.7 of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match.”

A Level 1 breach attracts a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee and one or two demerit points.

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Marais Erasmus, as well as fourth umpire Tim Robinson. No formal hearing was required, as Ishant pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by the match referee.

Despite bagging a fifer in the second innings, the seamer couldn’t help his team win the Test as India failed to chase down a sub-200 target. England are currently leading the five-match series 1-0. The two teams will face each other in the second Test on August 9.