SOUTH AFRICAN speedster Dale Steyn will have to spit out his entire Test match fee and Barbadian pacer Kemar Roach has been fined 50 per cent of his fee by the International Cricket Council (ICC).The two fast bowlers were found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct in separate incidents during the third Digicel Test at Kensington Oval in which South Africa defeated the West Indies by seven wickets on Tuesday to win the series 2-0.Steyn pleaded guilty to spitting in the direction of West Indies spinner Sulieman Benn, and was found to have committed a Level 2 breach of clause 2.2.11 of the ICC code of conduct, which relates to conduct of a serious nature that is contrary to the spirit of the game.The incident took place when Steyn, 27, and known for his bowling, with 211 wickets in 41 Tests, was dismissed cheaply by Roach in South Africa’s first innings and was teased by Benn.Unsavoury act As Steyn walked off, he appeared to spit in the direction of Benn, who immediately brought the matter to the attention of on-field umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis.Match referee Jeff Crowe, the former New Zealand Test captain, denounced Steyn’s unsavoury act, even though he indicated that Benn had infuriated him.“Dale’s behaviour was entirely unacceptable and he knows that. The fact that he was provoked by Sulieman during his time at the crease helps to explain his actions but cannot excuse them,” Crowe said.“Test cricket can be an examination of one’s emotions as well as skill, and players must learn to keep those emotions in check sufficiently to play within the spirit of the game. This was an ugly moment of which I’m sure Dale is not proud.”Meanwhile, Roach was penalised for his tantrum with Jacques Kallis, who surprisingly escaped without any charges being brought against him.Words were exchanged between the two players after a fired-up Roach struck Kallis on the helmet with a vicious bouncer during a fiery spell of bowling in South Africa’s second innings when he also hit Graeme Smith on the grill of his helmet.Pleaded guiltyThe confrontation between Roach and Kallis necessitated the intervention of the umpires and the fielders, led by the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul, to stop it from escalating even further. The two players belatedly shook hands at the end of the match.Roach, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to a Level 1 offence and was found to have breached clause 2.1.8 of the code, which relates to conduct of a minor nature that is contrary to the spirit of the game.“Kemar was involved in an unpleasant altercation in the final overs of the Test where he had to be pulled away by one of his fellow players,” Crowe said. “This was after he received warnings from the umpires and so it could easily have been avoided. “It was not acceptable behaviour for a player at this or any level of the game and it’s not the first time Kemar has been involved in such behaviour.”
