ICC bans Indian Women team captain Harmanpreet Kaur for outburst in Dhaka
Dubai, Jul 25: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday handed a two-match suspension to India women's team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for her boorish behaviour during the third ODI against Bangladesh.
Harmanpreet was penalised for her outburst in Dhaka last week when she shattered the stumps after being adjudged leg before and publicly criticised the match officials.
"Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for the next two international matches following two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct," said the ICC in a statement.
The suspension could see Harmanpreet missing two crucial game of India's campaign at the Asian Games in September-October in Hangzhou, China.
Harmanrpreet was adjudged leg before off a Nahida Akter delivery while trying to sweep but she claimed that she got a bottom edge and in a fit of rage shattered the stumps before walking back to the pavilion.
Later at the post match presentation ceremony, she termed the level of umpiring as "pathetic" and also sarcastically mentioned the umpires too should be called to join the teams for the trophy handing-over ceremony.
Her rude behaviour had prompted Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana to walk away with her team and urge her Indian counterpart to learn some "manners".
Kaur was also fined 50 percent of her match fee for expressing dissent at an umpire's decision, a level 2 offence, and 25 percent match fee, which is a level 1 offence, for openly criticising the umpires.
"Kaur was fined 50 percent of her match fee for the Level 2 offence and received three demerit points on her disciplinary record.
"She was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, relating to "showing dissent at an umpire's decision," the statement read.
The Indian captain admitted the offences and agreed to the sanctions proposed by Akhtar Ahmed of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees. Hence, there was no need for a formal hearing, and the penalties were implemented promptly.
A Level 2 breach typically carries a penalty ranging from 50 to 100 percent of the player's match fee, and three or four demerit points, while a Level 1 breach entails a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, up to a maximum penalty of 50 percent of the player's match fee, and one or two demerit points.
"In Kaur's instance, the accumulation of four demerit points converted to two suspension points, leading to her suspension from either one Test match or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first for the team," the CC added.
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
