Lehmann fined, radio station offers to pay

Cricket365
August 23, 2013

Australia coach Darren Lehmann has been fined 20 percent of his fifth Test match fee by the ICC for his comments regarding England fast bowler Stuart Broad, whom Lehmann labelled a 'blatant cheat'.

In the first Ashes Test, Broad nicked a delivery from Ashton Agar, which rebounded to first slip and was caught. The umpire did not give him out, and Broad did not walk, which caused all manner of uproar both in the UK and Australia.

Lehmann went on Aussie radio show Triple M this week and said that he hopes the Australia fans gave Broad stick when the Ashes move Down Under at the end of the year, and he hopes Broad goes home 'crying'.

The misconduct charge was laid by ICC chief David Richardson, who said that while he understood the context of the quip, he couldn't ignore the disrespect towards a 'fellow professional' and the flouting of the so-called spirit of cricket.

Richardson said: "Whilst noting the context and nature of the comments made, showing mutual respect for one's fellow professionals – including for coaches, players and match officials – is a cornerstone of how we play the game."

Lehmann pleaded guilty to the charge, after breaching Article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to "public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an international match or any player, player support personnel, match official or team participating in any international match."

Meanwhile, radio station Triple M have offered to pay Lehmann's fine, writing on their website: "Aussie cricket coach Darren 'Boof' Lehmann has been fined after labelling English cricketer Stuart Broad a cheat on Triple M.

"Triple M can't let Boof take all the blame for something that happened on our station. He's a mate and a great bloke and we'll be coughing up the match fine on his behalf."

It remains to be seen whether Lehmann will accept the offer.