England all-rounder Ben Stokes fell into yet another controversy after he abused a spectator during the ongoing Test between South Africa and England in Johannesburg. Stokes lost his cool after a fan hurled abuses at the all-rounder while he was walking towards the England dressing room after being dismissed.
Nice of sky sports to rewind and reply this clip of ben stokes calling someone in the crowd a four eyed cu*t #stokes #skysports #ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/egLdQKdMeP
— James clifton (@cliffycliffy118) January 24, 2020
Andy Pycroft, the ICC match referee charged Stokes with a Level One Offence – the use of an audible obscenity. There was no need for a full hearing since Stokes admitted to the offence. Following the incident, however, Stokes had apologised for his ‘unprofessional reaction.’
“I admit that my reaction was unprofessional, and I sincerely apologise for the language I used, especially to the many young fans watching the live telecast around the world. Throughout the Tests so far, the support from both sets of fans (England and South Africa) has been brilliant. One incident will not ruin such a competitive series, which we are determined to win,” he tweeted.
Due to the Level 1 offense, Stokes will lose 15% of his match-fee and will also have one demerit point added to his account. However, the all-rounder does not have any previous demerit points in the current 24-month period.
Meanwhile, England are in total control of the fourth Test. After putting up a huge total of 400 in the first innings, they have wrecked down the South Africa batting department. The hosts ended the day with 88/6 and they still trail by 312 runs. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope scored the fifties for England while Stokes was departed for 2 runs.
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) January 24, 2020