LONDON, May 11: Former England wicket-keeper Chris Read has been disciplined by English cricket chiefs after an extraordinary pitch-side bust-up with Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.

Read was given three penalty points under the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)'s disciplinary code for breaching provisions relating to the use of obscene or insulting language towards another player.

The sanction followed an incident during a county championship match on Wednesday after Sussex spinner Mushtaq trapped Read lbw fifth ball for a duck.

After being given out, Read briefly returned to the pavillion before coming out to confront Mushtaq on the third-man boundary.

An angry exchange ensued in which Read, who had been irritated by Mushtaq's appeals on earlier deliveries, used the word “cheat,” according to astonished spectators at the normally sleepy ground in Hove.

The penalty points remain on Read’s record for a period of two years. The accumulation of nine or more penalty points in any two-year period triggers an automatic suspension.

Read subsequently apologised for his outburst and Mushtaq was philosophical about the incident.

“These sort of things can happen,” he said. “People get angry when they are disappointed and I have every sympathy for Chris, who is a fine cricketer.

We've shaken hands and as far as I'm concerned that is the end of it,” the former Test leg-spinner said.

The incident has also been referred to the ECB Discipline Committee who will consider further action against Read, who is regarded as the best gloves man in English cricket but has been unable to hold on to a Test spot because of his indifferent batting.

Suggestions of a physical confrontation were played down by the two teams.

Mushtaq finished with figures of six for 72 as Notts were bowled out for 229 in their first innings.

Sussex reached the close of play on 111 for three in their second innings, a lead of 25 runs.

Scores on Wednesday:

County Championship (second day of four):Division One:

At Chester-le-Street:

DURHAM 340-9 (J.P. Maher 106, P. Mustard 78; C.E.W. Silverwood 4-85) v MIDDLESEX.

At Canterbury:

YORKSHIRE 312-5 (D.S. Lehmann 176 not out, C White 79) v KENT.At Hove:

SUSSEX 143 and 111-3 (C. Hopkinson 55 not out);

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 229 (M.A. Ealham 52, Mushtaq Ahmed 6-72).

At Edgbaston:

HAMPSHIRE 405 (M.A. Carberry 102, J.P. Crawley 96, N. Pothas 67 not out; A. Loudon 5-109, D.R. Brown 4-97);

WARWICKSHIRE 160-5 (J.O. Troughton 75 not out).

Division Two:

At Bristol: NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 219; GLOUCESTERSHIRE 70-4.

At Taunton: SOMERSET 312-6 (K.A. Parsons 78 not out, J. Hildreth 57) v ESSEX.

At New Road:

DERBYSHIRE 338 (G. Welch 94, D. Pipe 57, M.J. Di Venuto 56; Zaheer Khan 6-60);

WORCESTERSHIRE 2-0.

At Grace Road: LEICESTERSHIRE 525 (D. Mongia 161, J. Sadler 77, J.K. Maunders 71, P.A. Nixon 70 not out);

GLAMORGAN 90-2. —Agencies