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England pace spearhead James Anderson faces the prospect of a ban of two to four Tests after he was charged with a level three offence for allegedly "abusing and pushing" Ravindra Jadeja during the first Test match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
Anderson on Tuesday was charged under Level 3 of ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel by India team manager Sunil Dev following the alleged incident that took place on the second day of the match last Thursday.
If proved guilty, Anderson will face a ban of two to four Tests or four to eight One-Day Internationals.
England and Wales Cricket Board, however, denied the accusation made on Anderson and said it fully supports the paceman. The ECB said it has notified the ICC of its intention to lodge code of conduct violation charge against Jadeja.
"The England and Wales Cricket Board has today reacted with surprise that the India team has made allegations against James Anderson under Level 3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for a minor incident involving Ravindra Jadeja during the first Investec Test match at Trent Bridge," the ECB said in a statement.
"In the light of this the ECB has notified the ICC of its intention to lodge code of conduct breaches against Jadeja. James Anderson categorically denies the accusations made against him and the ECB has pledged their total support for the player should he be charged by ICC," it said.
The ICC said it will appoint a Judicial Commissioner who will hold a hearing as soon as possible before announcing a decision.
The alleged offence has been reported under Article 2.3.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which states: "Where the facts of the alleged incident are not adequately or clearly covered by any of the above offences, conduct that either: (a) is contrary to the spirit of the game; or (b) brings the game into disrepute".
"It is alleged that this was a continuation of a verbal altercation between Anderson and Jadeja as they were walking from the field," the ICC said in a statement.
"Level 3 charges are referred to a Judicial Commissioner for adjudication. As such, where required under Article 5.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, the ICC will appoint a Judicial Commissioner who will hold a hearing as soon as reasonably practicable. These details will be announced in due course.
"All Level 3 breaches carry a penalty of between four and eight Suspension Points. Two suspension points equates to a ban of one Test, or two ODIs, depending on which type of match is scheduled next for the suspended player," the world body said in the statement.
Images: James Anderson
Photograph: Philip Brown/Reuters