Butcher rapped for Perera comments

England batsman Mark Butcher has been fined 1,000 pounds ($1,520) and reprimanded by an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) disciplinary panel for criticising the bowling action of Sri Lanka seamer Ruchira Perera.

The ECB, which announced its decision after a hearing at Lord's on Thursday, said Butcher had 14 days in which to appeal.

The left-handed opening batsman made his comments in a column for a local newspaper, saying Perera clearly threw his shorter deliveries.

"The Panel found that the terms of the article were in breach of the Board's directives in relation to public statements," the ECB said in a statement.

The three-man ECB panel, which also ordered Butcher to pay 500 pounds in costs, took into account that he had offered an apology immediately after the article had appeared.

"It's not so bad when the ball is pitched up but, when he bowls short, he just runs up and throws it at you - I can't believe someone gets away with it," he wrote in his newspaper column.

Butcher, who had an excellent series against Sri Lanka, later said that "no malice" had been intended.

Left-armer Perera was reported for having a suspect action following the first test at Lord's. He was not selected for the second or final tests.

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