Shannon Gabriel Charges By ICC After Joe Root Altercation

Windies fast-bowler Shannon Gabriel has been charged by the ICC in relation to an incident on day three of the third Test in St Lucia. While the stump mic could not catch what Gabriel said, it is alleged that it was a homophobic slur.

Gabriel was seen being involved in a heated exchange with England batsmen Joe Root and Joe Denly on the third afternoon of the recently-concluded third Test. Gabriel’s words were not clear but the altercation ended with Root saying:

“Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”

The on-field umpire was also seen having a word with Gabriel. On Tuesday, the ICC confirmed that Gabriel has been charged for his conduct in St Lucia. In a tweet, the ICC confirmed that Gabriel had been charged with a breach of Article 2.13 of the Code of Conduct:

“The charge, which was laid by match umpires, will now be dealt with by Match Referee Jeff Crowe. Until the proceedings have concluded, the ICC will not comment further,” read the tweet from the ICC.

Shannon Gabriel has been charged with a breach Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct. The charge, which was laid by match umpires, will now be dealt with by Match Referee Jeff Crowe. Until the proceedings have concluded, the ICC will not comment further. @ICC

— ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) February 12, 2019

Article 2.13 applies to use of “language of a personal, insulting, obscene and/or offensive nature”, with a range of charges covering different levels of seriousness.

Meanwhile, after the game ended on day four, Root said he hoped the incident would not tarnish the series. He, however, made it clear that international players had a “responsibility to go about things in a certain manner”.

“The ICC have got to handle things and I am not in a position to comment but throughout the series it has been played in the right manner between the two sides,” he said. “West Indies have played some fantastic cricket, they are a good bunch of guys and it would be a shame if it tarnishes it. It has been a good hard-fought series. As a player you feel you have responsibilities to uphold on the field and I stand by what I did.

“I just did what I thought was right. You have responsibility to go about things in a certain manner on the field and it felt appropriate to act how I did,” he added.

England, meanwhile, beat Windies by 232 runs to avoid a whitewash and secure a consolation win. Windies had already sealed the three-match series by winning the first two games in Barbados and Antigua.