Zimbabwe batsman Dion Ebrahim has been suspended for one Test for his comments regarding Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
Ebrahim was the recipient of a surprise orthodox leg-break from Muralitharan on the first day of the second Test in Bulawayo on Friday.
"That was the first legal delivery he bowled, that's my personal opinion," Ebrahim told Reuters after the close of play.
Sri Lanka accused Ebrahim of bringing the game into disrepute, and International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Mike Procter found him guilty at a hearing on Sunday.
"Ebrahim has been suspended for one test match," the media manager of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU), Lovemore Banda, told Reuters.
A ZCU media release later added: "The Sri Lanka team wrote to ... Procter saying they took 'very serious offence' at the remark.
"Ebrahim pleaded guilty saying he had not realised the seriousness of his statement, and that he had said it more in jest during a telephone interview.
"Procter pointed out that while he could have given Ebrahim a fine, he took the batsman's statement in serious light and so decided on the one Test match ban."
Muralitharan, a world record holder with 523 Test wickets, has been dogged by suspicions over the legality of his bowling action.
The ICC has ruled that Muralitharan's 'doosra' delivery, which unusually for an off-spinner turns away from right-handed batsmen, falls foul of its regulations.
On Sunday, Muralitharan threatened to boycott Sri Lanka's tour of Australia next month because reports quoted Australian prime minister John Howard as answering, "Yes", when asked on Friday whether he believed Muralitharan was a 'chucker'.
Ebrahim, whose 22 caps make him one of the most experienced players in the current Zimbabwe squad, will miss the first Test against Australia, which starts in Harare on Saturday.
Zimbabwe were forced to select a weakened squad after 15 experienced players made themselves unavailable in a dispute with the ZCU.
