James Pattinson to miss first Test after code of conduct breach

Australia World

Updated November 17, 2019 13:54:26

Australian quick James Pattinson has been ruled out of contention for the first Test against Pakistan at the Gabba starting on Thursday.

Key points:

  • James Pattinson was banned for one game after being found to use abusive language during a match
  • Pattinson will miss the first Test against Pakistan in Brisbane
  • Steve Smith was fined for showing dissent after being dismissed in a separate match

The Victorian quick was found guilty of a code of conduct breach for personal abuse of a player whilst fielding during Victoria’s dramatic final-session loss to Queensland at the MCG last week.

“I made a mistake in the heat of the moment,” Pattinson said via a Cricket Australia (CA) statement.

“Straight away I realised I was in the wrong, and I apologised immediately, both to the opponent and to the umpires.

“I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty.

“I’m gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine.”

As Pattinson had been previously found guilty of two level one code breaches in the past year, he received two suspension points, resulting in a one-match ban.

Both Pattinson’s previous breaches came in the Sheffield Shield in March, in matches against New South Wales and South Australia.

CA’s head of integrity Sean Carroll said the decision was appropriate.

“We have a duty to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and the action taken in this matter demonstrates that,” Carroll said.

“On this occasion, James acknowledges he fell short of that expectation.”

CA said that no replacement would be called up to the Test team in place of Pattinson.

‘He’s let the group down’

Test captain Tim Paine said he did not know a lot about the incident but confirmed Pattinson was not eligible for selection, although offered no further details about the nature of his offence.

“At this stage it’s looking likely that he [Pattinson] will probably miss the first Test unfortunately,” Paine told ABC Grandstand.

“We’re really disappointed with that and I think James is as well.

“He knows that he’s let himself down, he’s let the group down.”

Pattinson took 2-48 and 4-66 with the ball at the MCG as Queensland overcame a 117-run first innings deficit to win a rain-affected match by just 59 runs, with seven balls remaining on the final day, bowling 48 overs to put himself into contention to be a part of Australia’s fast bowling line-up.

The 29-year-old played the most recent of his 19 Test matches in the England’s stunning victory at Headingley in August’s third Ashes Test, where he took match figures of 3-56.

Pattinson was named as one of five pace bowlers in the 14-man squad on Thursday, although was not expected to be part of the team in the first Test at the Gabba, with selectors set to favour Mitchell Starc over Pattinson and uncapped Queenslander Michael Neser as partner for form-pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Paine said the standards of behaviour that are expected of the Test team needed to be reflected at domestic level.

“We actually had a chat last night about the fact that we hold ourselves to a really high standards now with our behaviour,” Paine said,

“That’s not just while we’re playing [Test] cricket, we’ve got to go back to domestic cricket and lead the way on that front as well.

“We’re disappointed … but James has owned up and knows he’s made a mistake and has apologised for it and will come back bigger and better.”

Smith fined for dissent

Pattinson was the second Australian Test player to be sanctioned for unsporting behaviour in the latest round of Sheffield Shield matches.

Former captain Steve Smith was fined a quarter of his match fee for showing dissent after his first-innings dismissal in New South Wales’s 223-run victory over Western Australia.

Smith remained at the crease, shaking his head before walking off after being given out caught behind for 103 from 295 balls in the Blues first-innings total of 8-444.

“Those things can sort of happen,” Smith said when asked of the fine on Friday.

“I didn’t think there was a heap in it but, it is what it is, I’ll cop it and move on with it.”

These incidents, coupled with Ben Stokes’s suggestion that David Warner’s sledging spurred him on during his stunning match-winning innings at Headingley, could concern officials who have been at pains to emphasise a cultural shift had taken place within the Test team since the sandpaper controversy.

Cricket Australia’s culture was heavily criticised in an independent review conducted by The Ethics Centre in 2018, which found that poor on-field behaviour, including disrespecting umpires and excessive sledging, was tolerated as part of a win-at-all-costs mentality.

Topics: sport, cricket, australia, qld, brisbane-4000, vic, melbourne-3000

First posted November 17, 2019 13:04:32