MUMBAI, Oct 19: West Indies all-rounder Chris Gayle has been fined 30 percent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team's 10-run ODI defeat of Australia in the Champions Trophy.

Gayle, who had harsh words with Australian Michael Clarke during Wednesday's match, was found guilty of a breach of C1 of the Code, failing to “conduct play within the spirit of the game,” by match referee Mike Procter in a hearing on Thursday.

Clarke was found not guilty of the same charge in a separate hearing.

“What started off as banter between the two players got out of hand and Chris Gayle went over the top in his reactions,” said Procter. “We do not want robots on the field and we want to ensure players play with enthusiasm and passion.

“We saw a great deal of that during an excellent match but there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not and Chris crossed it.”

The charges were laid by the two on-field umpires, Mark Benson and Rudi Koertzen, as well as third umpire Aleem Dar, and the trio attended both hearings.

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player's match fee. For Level 1 breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct the match referee's decision is final and binding.—AFP