Bangladesh pair Shakib and Nurul fined for conduct

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and squad player Nurul Hasan have been fined for their conduct during an acrimonious final over of a Twenty20 tri-series match against Sri Lanka.

The International Cricket Council announced Saturday that both players would be fined 25 percent of their match fees and given one demerit point apiece following incidents on Friday.

The demerit points, if accumulated, can eventually lead to suspension. The ICC said in a statement that the duo had pleaded guilty to their offenses.

Shakib briefly called his batsmen off the field, almost forfeiting the match, when the umpires failed to award a no-ball to his team after medium-pacer Isuru Udana bowled too many bouncers in the over.

In the end, Shakib was persuaded by team management to complete the match.

Nurul argued and pointed his finger at Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera having gone on to the field with a message for the batsmen.

Bangladesh won the game by two wickets and now faces India in the final Sunday.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board expressed its regret, saying the conduct of its players was unacceptable at times.

'We understand that the events may have transpired due to the importance of the match and the pressure that comes with it but feel that the expected level of professionalism was not exhibited by the team while dealing with a tense situation in the game," the BCB said.

"The Bangladesh team members have been reminded of their responsibility in upholding the spirit of cricket at all times."