Styris, Johnson fined for mid-pitch clash

MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times

SIX FOR THE WIN: Scott Styris clubs the winning six down the ground off Doug Bollinger to give the Black Caps a two-wicket win over Australia in Napier.

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New Zealand's Scott Styris was fined 15 percent of his match fee while Australia's Mitchell Johnson was handed a more serious charge for breaching the International Cricket Council's code of conduct in Napier tonight.

Match referee Ranjan Madugalle summoned both players after their mid-pitch exchange late in New Zealand's two-wicket win in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy opener at McLean Park.

He wasn't commenting until official confirmation from the ICC, but a New Zealand team spokesman confirmed Styris accepted the charge on the lowest end of the scale.

It is understood Johnson accepted a more serious level two charge. His penalty was yet to be revealed, but it could range from a heftier fine to a suspension.

The pair were reported by umpires Rudi Koertzen and Tony Hill.

Styris and left-armer Johnson (1-46) bumped shoulders then appeared to clash heads after 34-year-old Styris hit the Australian paceman for consecutive boundaries in the 46th over.

Said Styris: "There was nothing more than normal, the Australians play good competitive cricket and I'd like to think that we'll match them in that competitiveness. There wasn't anything untoward out there.

Asked if Johnson had butted heads with Styris, he said: "He might have come quite close, I don't know, he may have done."

Before the hearing, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he was unsure what led to the Styris-Johnson clash.

"There was obviously something happened," Ponting said.

"I rushed in as quickly as I could and separated them as quick as I could and we just tried to finish off the game well from there."

Styris' unbeaten 49 off 34 balls led New Zealand home by two wickets with four balls to spare as they chased down 276 in the five-match series opener.

"I'd have to say it rates pretty highly, because any time you can be the guy at the end and win a game you've obviously got to be happy," he said.

"When you couple that with the fact that it's Australia, the No 1 team in the world, it's even better.

"Dan (Vettori) has said this series will define how New Zealand's gone this summer, so to get the guys up and hopefully win this series is a great feeling."

Styris, playing his 160th ODI after being unwanted for the Bangladesh series, was initially omitted and only found out he was in the playing 11 an hour before the start, when Vettori withdrew with a neck injury.

Man of the match Ross Taylor (70 off 71 balls) said it could hardly have gone better in his captaincy debut.

"I'm retiring now," he quipped.

"I got a text from Dan about 10.45am saying 'I'm a bit iffy, you might be captain', so I started getting ready then but I still thought he would be okay. I didn't really know the extent his neck was playing up. I'm pretty happy with the result."

- NZPA