WBBL 2020: Sydney Sixers Fined Heftily For Including A Player Despite Not Being In The Squad

Women’s Big Bash League franchise Sydney Sixers were slapped with a fine of $25000 of which 15000 got suspended for a period of 12 months. The hefty amount came in the wake of an administration error that witnessed fast bowler Hayley Silver-Holmes named on the team sheet to play against Melbourne Renegades despite not being part of their primary squad. The Melbourne Renegades eventually beat Sydney Sixers by six wickets.

Sydney Sixers hoped to have Hayley Silver-Holmes in their ranks after an injury to face the Renegades; however, her paperwork had not been lodged that rendered Silver-Holmes ineligible for selection. Fortunately, the Sixers’ officials realised their error and removed the pacer from the match and did not bat or take the field against the Renegades in a succesful chase of 167.

Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia’s Head of Integrity underlined that the mistake by Sydney Sixers was serious; however, the impact was minor, considering the franchise’s immediate rectification. As per Senior Conduct Commissioner Alan Sullivan QC’s findings, they have decided to suspend $15000 of the $25000 imposed.

“This breach by the Sydney Sixers, while serious in nature, had a reduced impact due to the club’s actions during last night’s game. As such, we support the findings of Alan Sullivan QC, including the suspension of $15,000 of the $25,000 fine imposed,” Carroll stated as quoted by News18.

Alistair Dobson praises the Sydney Sixers for their immediate action:

Alistair Dobson, who is Cricket Australia’s head of Big Bash Leagues, praised the Sydney Sixers for identifying and rectifying the error with immediate effect. In turn, Alan Sullivan QC also appreciated the confession of their mistakes and measures undertaken to lessen the impact.

“We commend the Sydney Sixers for their swift action and cooperation in addressing this error. In particular, we echo Alan Sullivan QC’s praise for the Sixers’ self-reporting and actions undertaken to minimise the impact of the breach on last night’s match,” Dobson mentioned.

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