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          Sydney Sixers fined for incorrectly naming Hayley Silver-Holmes in XI

          Hayley Silver-Holmes sends one down Getty Images
          • Andrew McGlashan, Deputy editor, ESPNcricinfoNov 22, 2020, 12:42 AM
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              Deputy Editor Andrew arrived at ESPNcricinfo via Manchester and Cape Town, after finding the assistant editor at a weak moment as he watched England's batting collapse in the Newlands Test. Andrew began his cricket writing as a freelance covering Lancashire during 2004 when they were relegated in the County Championship. In fact, they were top of the table when he began reporting on them but things went dramatically downhill. He likes to let people know that he is a supporter of county cricket, a fact his colleagues will testify to and bemoan in equal quantities.

          The Sydney Sixers have been fined A$25,000, of which $15,000 is suspended for 12 months, after they erroneously named pace bowler Hayley Silver-Holmes in their XI to face the Melbourne Renegades on Saturday, despite her not officially being part of the squad.

          Having been replaced in the squad due to a foot injury, Silver-Holmes was fit again for the weekend's matches but her return to the 15-player squad had not been approved by the tournament technical committee.

          The error was spotted, and self-reported, by the Sixers after the match against the Renegades had started and she was withdrawn from the match without batting.

          A hearing took play before Cricket Australia's senior conduct commissioner, Alan Sullivan QC, on Sunday and the breach was termed "serious". He could have imposed a fine of up to $50,000 plus other sanctions but took into account the fact the Sixers lost the game and that Silver-Holmes had not played any part in the contest"Cricket Australia places a significant emphasis on the integrity of all competitions, including the compliance with its player contracting rules and regulations," Sean Carroll, CA's head of integrity and Security, said. "This breach by the Sydney Sixers, while serious in nature, had a reduced impact due to the club's actions during last night's game.

          "As such, we support the findings of Alan Sullivan QC, including the suspension of $15,000 of the $25,000 fine imposed."

          Alistair Dobson, CA's head of Big Bash Leagues, said: "We commend the Sydney Sixers for their swift action and cooperation in addressing this error. In particular, we echo Alan Sullivan QC's praise for the Sixers' self-reporting and actions undertaken to minimise the impact of the breach on last night's match."

          The defeat against the Renegades on Saturday left the Sixers with only the slimmest of chances of making the semi-finals and for the second season in a row they missed the knockouts when they couldn't overturn an almost-impossible net run-rate calculation against the Stars.

          "We made a regrettable administrative error for which there are understandably stringent rules," Jodie Hawkins, Sydney Sixers' general manager, said. "We were given a fair opportunity to present our case in the hearing and accept the findings and sanction. As a club we will learn from this and put processes in place for the future."