The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reprimanded South Africa's spinner of Pakistani origin Imran Tahir for lifting his shirt and revealing an undershirt with the picture of Junaid Jamshed.

The Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir celebrated his wicket against Sri Lanka by paying tribute to singer-turned-evangelist Junaid Jamshed, who died in a plane crash last month.

The South African cricketer has been reprimanded for displaying a personal message without seeking prior approval from his home side or the ICC.

"This contravenes Section G1 of the ICC Clothing and Equipment Rules and Regulations, which says: Players and team officials shall not be permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey messages through arm bands or other items affixed to clothing or equipment unless approved in advance by both the player or team official's and the ICC Cricket Operations Department," said the ICC in a statement.

Tahir admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the ICC, hence no formal adjudication was issued by the governing cricket body.

One of the world's top spinners, Lahore-born Tahir has played more than 100 times for the Proteas since making his international debut in 2011, after becoming a South African citizen through marriage.

After dismissing Sri Lanka's Asela Gunaratne during the second T20 International match on Sunday, Tahir set off on a run in celebration, and lifted his shirt to reveal a portrait of Jamshed printed on his undershirt.

PIA flight PK-661 carrying 48 passengers and crew crashed on the way to Islamabad from Chitral on December 7 last year. The Civil Aviation Authority later confirmed there were no survivors from the ill-fated flight.

The passenger list revealed there were 31 men, nine women and two infants on board the flight, including Junaid Jamshed and his family, as well as three foreigners.