Calls for David Warner to be fined for swearing at umpire in Australia vs Sri Lanka World Cup match

Australian star batter David Warner, who hurled abuses at the on-field umpire during their Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka, “should face a fine”, according to a former cricketer.

Ex-New Zealand pacer Simon Doull called for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to penalise Warner for his outburst against on-field umpire Joel Wilson after being adjudged LBW during Australia’s win over Sri Lanka in Lucknow in the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday.

“David Warner should face a fine from the ICC for his behaviour. If he doesn’t, there’s a problem. His reaction, swearing at Joel Wilson, is unacceptable. Such incidents bother me a lot. It was a correct decision; the ball was just clipping the stumps,” Doull said in an interview with Cricbuzz.

Australia, who have finally won a game this World Cup after losing their opening two fixtures, have faced a streak of unfortunate umpiring decisions, with Warner being on the receiving end this time at the Ekana stadium.

Unlike his teammates, the southpaw didn’t mask his frustration as he smashed his bat on the ground and vented his anger on umpire Wilson with a bombardment of expletives as he left the field.

The incident transpired on the first ball of the third over during Australia’s chase. Sri Lanka’s left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka delivered an in-dipper from over the wicket, leaving Warner cramped. Warner, who hopped on his crease, had the ball struck his front pad.

The ball might have missed the stumps due to its angle, on-field umpire Wilson’s perspective was slightly different as he declared Warner out. The Aussie opener, gesturing that the ball was surely heading down the leg side as soon as it hit his pads, immediately called for a review.

With the ball-tracking technology revealing that the ball would have just clipped the leg stump, the third umpire asked Wilson to retain his on-field decision as it fell within the “umpire’s call” category, leaving Warner furious. The Australian batter would not have been given out if Wilson’s on-field decision was a different one, which perhaps was his biggest frustration.

“If the ball hits the stumps, it’s out. There’s no need to swear at the umpire. The umpire has to make a quick decision in real-time. When I saw it live, I thought it was a close call. The umpire made his call based on one look, and in the end, it was proven to be correct. It wasn’t a bad or incorrect decision,” added Doull in the interview.

Interestingly, Wilson was the same umpire who gave both Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis not out in the previous match only to have his decision overturned by the third umpire after South Africa opted for DRS.

During the 18th over of Australia’s innings against South Africa, Stoinis’ defensive shot off pacer Kagiso Rabada’s delivery was caught by a flying Quinton de Kock, but Wilson declared it not out. However, when South Africa opted for a review, the decision was reversed in their favour.

The replay and UltraEdge demonstrated that the ball had brushed Stoinis’ bottom hand during its flight, suggesting contact with the bat. This led to the beginning of what would be a heated debate on the field.