Sydney: Australia fast bowler James Pattinson was suspended on Sunday for player abuse, ruling him out of the first Test against Pakistan this week with skipper Tim Paine saying he had let down the team. The paceman was found guilty of breaching Cricket Australia’s code of conduct during Victoria’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland last week.

It was not clear what he said, but the governing body characterised it as "personal abuse of a player while fielding". The Australian and the Sydney Daily Telegraph said it allegedly involved a homophobic slur. Given it was his third breach in the past 18 months, the incident triggered a one-match suspension.