England seamer James Anderson could potentially face a ban of up to four matches for allegedly 'pushing and abusing' India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test at Trent Bridge. Anderson, who has been charged and if found guilty, is liable for a ban under Level 3 of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct.
The alleged incident took place when the two players were leaving the field on the second day at Lunch, with Anderson pushing Jadeja on a narrow pathway, which connects the two dressing rooms, according to reports.
The altercation carried on in the final day of the Test match, when Anderson troubled and sledged Jadeja, as the Indian all-rounder took 38 deliveries to get off the mark.
The India team manager, Sunil Dev, lodged the complaint against the English pacer after confirming the incident with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher. The team management asked for an 'exemplary ban' on Anderson.
"Mahi (Dhoni) and everyone complained that he [Anderson] physically touched him [Jadeja] and pushed him. It was all over the dressing room," Dev told ESPNCricinfo. "It is a serious matter only because you can't push anybody. So I put in a complaint with the match referee."
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) expressed surprise at the complaint lodged by India. ECB in a statement said that Anderson has denied all charges and the English board fully supports their player. The England board also added it will lodge a 'conduct breaches' complaint against Jadeja.
"The England and Wales Cricket Board has today reacted with surprise that the India team has made allegations against James Anderson under Level 3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for a minor incident involving Ravindra Jadeja during the first Investec Test match at Trent Bridge," the ECB said in a statement on Tuesday.
"In the light of this the ECB has notified the ICC of its intention to lodge code of conduct breaches against Jadeja. James Anderson categorically denies the accusations made against him and the ECB has pledged their total support for the player should he be charged by ICC."
The ICC has charged Anderson under Article 2.3.3 and the hearing will take place in the next 14 days.
"Level 3 charges are referred to a Judicial Commissioner for adjudication," the ICC said in a statement. "As such, where required under Article 5.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, the ICC will appoint a Judicial Commissioner who will hold a hearing as soon as reasonably practicable. These details will be announced in due course.
"All Level 3 breaches carry a penalty of between four and eight suspension points. Two suspension points equates to a ban of one Test, or two ODIs, depending on which type of match is scheduled next for the suspended player."
This is not the first time Trent Bridge Test has seen an altercation between these two teams, as in the 2007 tour an English player threw jelly beans on the pitch when Zaheer Khan arrived to, which resulted in verbal exchange between Zaheer and Kevin Pietersen.
