Best, Shoaib fined over CPL altercation

Bridgetown (Barbados), July 25 (IANS/CMC) Temperamental fast bowler Tino Best and former Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik have been hit with hefty fines following an on-field altercation during a Caribbean Premier League match between Barbados Tridents and St. Lucia Zouks at Kensington Oval.

Best was fined 60 percent of his match fee while Shoaib has been fined half his match fee for the incident which occurred during the Tridents innings Wednesday, reports CMC.

However, the CPL have downplayed an incident which took place at the team hotel between two players from the opposing sides. Though online social media was abuzz with reports of a scuffle, the CPL said Thursday the incident had been "minor".

“There was a further incident which took place after the match at the players’ hotel. While this is being investigated currently, the CPL management can confirm that the incident was minor and no one was injured,” the statement said.

The showdown between Best and Shoaib, however, came after the West Indian pacer was put to the sword by Dwayne Smith, who made an unbeaten 110, and the Pakistani right-hander who stroked 49.

Shoaib struck the Barbadian pacer for two successive boundaries in the 15th over of the innings before being bowled, leading to some physical contact between the two players and an exchange of words.

Best was subsequently charged 10 percent of his match fee for bringing the game into the disrepute and conduct contrary to the spirit of the game, and hit with another 50 percent for “using language or a gesture(s) that is seriously obscene, seriously offensive or of a seriously insulting nature to another player.”

Shoaib, meanwhile, was charged under a Level Two offence for “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players.”

Both players pleaded guilty to the charges.