|| Desk Report ||

West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel has been charged by the ICC due to using vulgar words to England captain Joe Root and insulting him during the day three of the third Test in St Lucia, confirmed ICC. He could be banned for four of the five upcoming ODIs against England. 

The on-field umpires have laid a charge against Gabriel under Article 2.13 of the ICC's Code of Conduct. According to the Article, "is intended to cover a Player or Player Support Personnel directing language of a personal, insulting, obscene and/or offensive nature at any Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire or Match Referee during an International Match."

On day three, Gabriel said something to Root during his batting. The comments were overheard on the stump microphone later: "Don't use it as an insult. There's nothing wrong with being gay." The video clip has been doing the rounds on social media since although what had drawn that response from Root was not picked up by the stump microphone.

Then, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite swiftly moved Gabriel away from Root after the exchange and match referee Jeff Crowe was thought to be satisfied that it had been dealt with. Crowe will now proceed with the charge although it may be difficult to prove what, if anything, Gabriel said to Root if there is no audio evidence available. The ICC said they would make no further comment until proceedings have concluded.

After the incident, Root said a pre-match press conference, "It's Test cricket, he's an emotional guy trying to do everything he can to win a Test match. Sometimes people say things on the field they might regret, but they should stay on the field. He's a good guy who plays hard cricket and is proud to be in the position he is. The battle was a good contest, he's had a wonderful series and he should be proud."