Murray Goodwin, a former Zimbabwean hitter, was barred for attacking a rival.

Murray Goodwin, a former Zimbabwean international, is in the spotlight after punching a rival during a regional cricket championship game. The Bunbury and Districts Cricket Association (BDCA) found the former cricketer guilty of striking a rival player and issued him a 16-match suspension as a result.

The event happened at the Bunbury Recreation Ground in Western Australia during the first-grade championship game between Colts Cricket Club and Marist Cricket Club. The 50-year-old seemed upset because Marist pacer Tyson Italiano had removed him after being caught and bowled for only two runs.

The batsman, incensed by the dismissal, charged at the wicketkeeper, Cam Marra, and struck him in the head with his bat. Immediately after, he was charged with a level-four offense under MCC Law 42.5 (Law for Offenses by Players) by umpires Gary Crombie and Brett Shortland, and he was suspended for the rest of the two-day match.

Murray Goodwin will pay a three-year fine.

The Bunbury Cricket District Association Tribunal found Goodwin guilty of attacking the opposing keeper, according to reporting in The West Australian, and sentenced him to three years in prison. The 50-year-old will virtually miss the whole Bunbury and Districts season next summer after receiving a 16-match penalty, with the remaining games served as a suspended sentence.

The cricketer, who was born in Harare, represented Zimbabwe in 71 ODIs and 19 Test matches. During his time with the squad, he scored 1818 and 1414 runs, respectively. Eight half-centuries and two tons are included in his ODI statistics, along with three centuries and eight half-centuries in red-ball cricket.

Murray Goodwin last played in a Royal London One-Day Cup official List A match in 2014, when he represented Glamorgan against his old team, Sussex. The Zimbabwean’s 59-run knock was crucial to Glamorgan’s victory in the match. Before being hired as Sussex’s batting coach in 2016, Goodwin played there for 12 seasons.