Pakistan & Bangladesh lose WTC points due to slow over-rate in Rawalpindi Test: Details inside

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined Pakistan 30 percent of their match fees and deducted six points from their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) tally, here on Monday.

According to the details, as if losing to Bangladesh at home wasn’t bad enough, now Pakistan have been punished for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first Test in Rawalpindi.

The penalties were imposed by Ranjan Madugale of the Emirates ICC’s panel of elite match referees after Pakistan were found to have gone six overs short of the required rate, even accounting for time allowance. Bangladesh also faced sanctions for falling three overs short, resulting in a 15% match fee penalty and a deduction of three WTC points.

According to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, teams are fined 5% of their match fee for not delivering the ball within the stipulated time. Additionally, Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship Playing Conditions stipulates a deduction of one point for each over-short.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Bangladesh’s Najamul Hussain Shanto accepted the fines, rejecting the need for a formal hearing.

In a separate incident, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was fined 10 percent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Shakib was penalized for an improper delivery during Pakistan’s second innings, an action deemed dangerous when it went over Mohammad Rizwan’s head to the wicketkeeper. This breach of Article 2.9 resulted in one demerit point being added to Shakib’s disciplinary record, his first offense in 24 months.

Shakib, avoiding a formal hearing, pleaded guilty and accepted the sentence. These allegations were made by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Rashid Riaz.