Cricket: Gibbs fined for late night out during test

CENTURION - South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs was fined his entire match fee for staying out late during the third test against England in Cape Town in the first week of the year, it was revealed on Sunday.

Gibbs was docked the 25,000 rand ($4,129) in a disciplinary process conducted internally by the South African team management.

"The chief executive (of the United Cricket Board, Gerald Majola) was informed of the matter immediately and has sanctioned the imposition of a one-match fee penalty," South African media manager Gerald de Kock told Reuters.

"He complimented team management on the manner in which they dealt with the matter."

Gibbs was fined during the fourth test against England, which took place in Johannesburg last week. He scored 161 and 98 in that defeat after a four and a 24 in South Africa's series-levelling victory in Cape Town.

The offence was Gibbs' sixth serious run-in with cricket's authorities.

His most significant breach came in August 2000 when he was fined 60,000 rand and banned for six months for agreeing to under-perform in a one-day international against India.

- REUTERS