Smith fined for dissent over umpire row

Josh Hazlewood, the Australian pacer, has pleaded guilty to a charge of dissent by the International Cricket Council after an ugly altercation in which he let out an expletive targeted at Richard Illingworth, the third umpire, following an unsuccessful review for an lbw appeal against Kane Williamson on the fourth day of the second Test against New Zealand.

Smith was charged with dissent in connection with the same obscenity-laden rant that cost Josh Hazlewood 15 percent of his match fee.

The seven-wicket victory coming just after lunch on the final day at Hagley Oval sealed a 2-0 series win against Brendon McCullum’s side and confirmed Australia’s ascendancy to the pinnacle of Test cricket for the first time since July 2014.

Captain Smith asked for a review, though “hot-spot” technology showed Williamson had got a thin inside edge onto his pad, so ball tracking was not examined.

Prior to the ICC’s announcement, Smith revealed to Optus Sport’s Across the Ditch he had been fined.

“Following the conclusion of the match on Wednesday, Smith admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees”. “I need to be better than that”.

“That’s our goal as a team to be number one in the world in every format of the game”, Smith said.

“I guess out on the field we couldn’t really see a Hot Spot and I’ve been informed since then, at the (lunch) break just after the incident, that if there is a Hot Spot they don’t go to Real Time Snicko”.

“I don’t think we’re not nice guys”, Smith said of Australia, who have previously been accused of pushing the boundaries of sportsmanship and criticised for sledging. I guess I’m still young in my career as a leader and you try and learn from different things.

Australian skipper Steve Smith concedes he needs to set a better example, having been fined nearly $5000 for dissent in the second trans-Tasman Test.

“For me it s about trying to learn from my mistakes and improve and try and get this team going forward in the right direction and playing the good aggressive brand of cricket that we play so well and know there s a line there that we can t cross”.