South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been banned from all rugby activities for two months for his conduct towards match officials during a series win over the British and Irish Lions.
Erasmus, head coach of the Springboks for their 2019 World Cup triumph, has also been suspended from all matchday activities with immediate effect until September 30 next year.
World Rugby on Wednesday revealed that an independent misconduct committee found the 49-year-old was guilty of all six charges that were brought against him.
Erasmus accused the Lions of "reckless and dangerous" play in their 22-17 win in the first Test in July and hit out at the standard of refereeing from Nic Berry.
He also made the claims in a 62-minute clip posted on social media as he highlighted what he felt were a number of calls that went against the world champions.
Erasmus also retweeted clips from an anonymous Twitter user, alleged to be one of his own accounts, highlighting "questionable calls".
In summary, World Rugby revealed he had been guilty of threatening a match official that unless a requested meeting took place, he would publish footage containing clips criticising the match official's performance and then making good on that threat; published or permitted to be published the video containing numerous comments that were either abusive, insulting and/or offensive to match officials.
He was also found to have attacked, disparaged and/or denigrated the game and the match officials; did not accept or observe the authority and decisions of match officials; published or caused to be published criticism of the manner in which a match official handled a match.
The committee also deemed Erasmus to have engaged in conduct or activity that may impair public confidence in the integrity and good character of match official(s); and brought the game into disrepute when he published or caused to be published the 'Erasmus Video'.
Erasmus was warned about his future conduct and told to issue an apology to the relevant match officials.
SA Rugby were also charged with not ensuring Erasmus complied with the World Rugby Code of Conduct and/or permitted him to commit acts of misconduct; and/or did not publicly correct any comments or publications by or on behalf of the director of rugby that amounted to misconduct.
A fine of £20,000 was issued to SA Rugby along with a warning as to future conduct. The organisation was told there must be an apology to the relevant match officials.
SA Rugby issued a joint statement along with Erasmus confirming both parties will exercise their rights to appeal the verdicts.
Miller inspires South Africa to victory over Netherlands
South Africa maintained their unbeaten start to the T20 World Cup with a four-wicket triumph over the Netherlands at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
David Miller was the Proteas' star with an unbeaten 59, as South Africa recovered from a dismal start in which they had slumped to 12-3.
The Netherlands had started poorly themselves with the bat, though Sybrand Engelbrecht steadied the ship with a 45-ball 40 before he was caught by Marco Jansen from Ottniel Baartman's delivery.
And with that, the Netherlands' scoring rate soon fizzled out, with the Dutch finishing on 103-9.
That lacklustre conclusion to their innings looked set to be swiftly forgotten as South Africa's top order disintegrated inside the first four overs, and the Netherlands seemed to be on their way to a famous win.
But a strong partnership of Tristan Stubbs (33) and Miller anchored South Africa's innings, and the Proteas emerged victorious with an over to spare.
Miller fittingly confirmed the victory with a six, smashing that shot through the leg side.
Sri Lanka remain bottom of Group D following their two-wicket defeat to Bangladesh earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan continued their excellent start at this year's tournament, beating New Zealand by 84 runs to move top of Group C.
Data Debrief: Dutch come unstuck
The defeat for the Netherlands ended their longest unbeaten streak in the competition, with the Dutch having won each of their last three matches at the T20 World Cup.
South Africa gained a measure of revenge, meanwhile, for their 13-run defeat to the Netherlands at the 2022 T20 World Cup.
ICC moves to remedy situation with drop-in pitches at ongoing T20 World Cup
he International Cricket Council (ICC) has promised ground staff will try to “remedy” ongoing problems with the drop-in pitches at its showcase ground in New York.
Cricket’s world governing body publicly acknowledged for the first time since the T20 World Cup began that there have been teething issues with the surfaces.
While players and coaches have so far refused to criticise the pitches at the venue, BBC Sport understands India has privately voiced their unhappiness with the unpredictable bounce and two-paced nature of the strips in Eisenhower Park amid worries over the safety of their batters.
“The ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
Concerns have grown over the unpredictable nature of surfaces after the first two fixtures played at the venue.
On Monday, Sri Lanka were bowled out by South Africa for 77 – their lowest score in T20s – while India dismissed Ireland for 96 on Wednesday.
India play Pakistan on Sunday at the venue in Eisenhower Park in one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures of the tournament with a capacity crowd of 32,000 expected.
ICC officials have maintained there are no contingency plans in place to switch any of the New York games to venues in Florida or Texas, both of which have natural turf strips.
The US is staging 16 of the 55 matches at the T20 World Cup, which it is co-hosting with the West Indies.
The pop-up stadium in New York cost $32 million to construct and was built inside eight months to much fanfare from the tournament organisers.
Six of the trays which transported the soil for the 10 Tahoma grass surfaces came from Australia before being shipped to Florida where the pitches were cultivated.
The soil variety has a high clay content, similar to the pitches in Adelaide.
They were then transported to New York by road and installed a few weeks before the tournament began.
The outfield is made up of Kentucky bluegrass, grown at a farm in New Jersey, on top of sand.
There was discontent with the pitch after Monday’s opening match in which South Africa were able to stroll to their victory target against Sri Lanka with 22 deliveries remaining, while India had 46 balls left when they hit the winning runs in another low-scoring match against Ireland.
It has meant the toss in New York has become pivotal in determining the outcome of the match, with the team bowling first at an advantage.
Batters have had to fend off short-pitched bowling, with balls climbing off a length while others skid along at ankle height through to the wicketkeeper.
A clear diagnosis for the problems has not yet been identified.
Similarly, the sizes of the boundaries – 75m and 65m on each side, and 71m straight – and slow outfield have inhibited run scoring with the boundary ropes unable to be pulled in because of ICC tournament guidelines.
As a result, the cricket spectacle delivered by both games so far has been largely underwhelming.
India fans were even cheering for Ireland at one point during their eight-wicket win, hoping the length of the game would be extended so they could see more of their team batting in the second innings.
Concerns have also been raised about the six pitches laid at the net training facility in nearby Cantiague Park.
Earlier this week, South Africa’s batters opted for throw downs as opposed to facing their own bowlers, and local net bowlers, because of injury worries.
Holder and Seales return to West Indies squad for Test tour of England
West Indies have named returning pair Jason Holder and Jayden Seales in their Test squad for the upcoming series against England.
Veteran all-rounder Holder and pace bowler Seales missed the Windies' last red-ball outing against Australia in January.
Holder opted to play for Dubai Capitals in the International League T20 but his form in the longest format of cricket with Barbados and Worcestershire has brought a recall.
Seales was unavailable for the tour of Australia with a shoulder injury but has impressed in England this season for Sussex as the joint-highest wicket-taker in Division Two of the County Championship.
The touring West Indians will also have Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Kemar Roach as seam-bowling options to choose from.
At the top of the order, opening batter Tagenarine Chanderpaul has been dropped after just 31 runs across four innings against Australia.
Mikyle Louis has replaced Chanderpaul and could become the first man from St Kitts to play Test cricket for West Indies, if selected for the first Test at Lord's, starting on July 10.
"The squad has been shaped with both experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions," Desmond Haynes, West Indies' lead selector, said.
"Over the past year, our red-ball program has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment.
"Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work. We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England."
West Indies 15-man Test squad for England tour:
Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wicket-keeper), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph (vice-captain), Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair.
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