Australian batsman Michael Clarke has been cleared for his on-field misdemeanor against the West Indies in the ICC Champions Trophy.
However, West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle was fined 30 percent of his match fees for breaching the ICC code of conduct after umpires Mark Benson and Rudi Koertzen laid charges after a fiery encounter between the two rival cricketing countries.
Gayle brushed past Clarke while the Australian was running between the wickets and the two also traded verbal blows which led to the umpires laying the charges.
While Clarke was found not guilty, ICC match referee Mike Procter found Gayle guilty of failing to conduct play within the spirit of the game.
"What started off as banter between the two players got out of hand and Chris Gayle went over the top in his reactions," Procter said.
"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 on Wednesday but there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not and Chris crossed it."
While Clarke is not pleased to have the disciplinary hearing on his record, he is unsure as to what instigated the battle.
"Why Chris fired up, I'm not sure. I certainly know I didn't say anything to Chris when he batted," Clarke told the Herald Sun.
"After an over Chris walked the whole way down to where Gilly (keeper Adam Gilchrist) and I were talking in the middle and he was right on my shoulder the whole time, I can imagine how that looked on TV."
"I can't even remember what Chris was saying because I was that focused (on batting). There certainly was banter out there but it wasn't personal."
The charge against Gayle was a level one charge, which brings a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player's total match fee.
