Zimbabwe bowler punished badly by ICC for dangerous attack on South African batsman

Zimbabwe pacer Kundai Matigimu has been fined 15% of his match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Bulawayo. The incident unfolded on Day 1 during the 72nd over of South Africa’s first innings.

After fielding the ball in his follow-through, Kundai Matigimu threw it at the young South African batter Lhuan-de Pretorius, hitting him on the wrist from a short distance.

ICC punishes Zimbabwe's Kundai Matigimu for a dangerous throw at Lhuan-de Pretorius

The Zimbabwe bowler was found guilty of violating Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match.”

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Matigimu accepted the offense and the sanction, which was proposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

Apart from the fine, one demerit point has also been added to Matigimu’s disciplinary record. It was the Zimbabwe bowler's first offense within a 24-month period.

Also Read: 'Phone call from Brian Lara made Wiaan Mulder declare innings': Twitter explodes as SA captain finishes with 367*

Bad light ends Day 2 early, but South Africa tighten grip on Zimbabwe

Meanwhile, the match officials were forced to end the play of Day 2 slightly early once again due to bad light, bringing another dominant day for South Africa to a close in the ongoing second Test against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

The Proteas started strong, building on their huge total in the morning session with Wiaan Mulder finishing unbeaten on a record-breaking 367. His stunning knock is now the highest individual Test score by a South African.

However, Mulder had a real chance to break Brian Lara’s world record of 400*, but he chose to declare the innings with the team at a massive 626/5. South African bowlers were also on the roll. In the second session, they ripped through Zimbabwe’s batting line-up, picking up six wickets.

Only Sean Williams showed any fight, battling illness to score an unbeaten 83. The rest of the lineup crumbled, and Zimbabwe was bowled out for just 170 runs. Then, the Proteas side decided to follow on, and Zimbabwe lost another early wicket in the form of Dion Myers before the day was called off. The hosts are trailing by 402 runs against South Africa.

I was nowhere near good enough: Wiaan Mulder

After the end of Day 2, Mulder admitted that he wasn't good enough when he first started playing for South Africa, but valuable chances to learn from former players helped him improve. He credited Zimbabwe head coach Justin Simmons for playing a big role in his development.

Wiaan Mulder stated: “When I started playing for SA, I was nowhere near good enough. They gave me a lot of opportunities to learn from retired players and really polish and improve my game. Going to England helped me understand technical things in my game and helped me understand what kind of cricketer I want to be. The head coach of Zimbabwe, Justin Simmons, helped massively in my development; he helped in my game against the short ball.”