India manager fined for adverse umpiring comment

Phadke was found to have breached ICC Code of Conduct which relates to "public criticism or inappropriate comments"

NEW DELHI: India's manager Vinod Phadke has been fined 40 per cent of his undisclosed match fees for making "inappropriate comments" about umpire Vineet Kulkarni, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Thursday.

Phadke was quoted in local media as saying that wrong decisions by Kulkarni were to blame for India's defeat to South Africa in the Twenty20 match in Dharamsala on October 2 and the first one-dayer in Kanpur on October 11.

Phadke was found to have breached the ICC Code of Conduct for players and support staff which relates to "public criticism or inappropriate comments" against a match official, the ICC said in a statement.

ICC match referee Chris Broad conducted a formal hearing after Wednesday's second one-dayer in Indore since Phadke pleaded not guilty to the charge, the statement added.

Indian team managers are appointed on a series-by-series basis to help in administrative matters while the coaching staff concentrate on cricketing issues.

India's Kulkarni, 36, has been umpiring international matches since 2012 and has so far officiated in 19 one-day internationals and seven Twenty20 matches.

India is the only Test-playing nation that opposes the use of Decision Review System for umpires during bilateral matches, insisting the technology used is not 100 percent accurate.

India lost two T20 games against South Africa, while the third was washed out. The five-match one-day series is locked 1-1.