The first week of the ICC Champions Trophy has begun and the tournament hosts Pakistan had a tough start. The Men in Green have suffered a big defeat against New Zealand in the opening match on Wednesday. A day after the loss, Pakistan faced another setback as they were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate.
The was were found one over short of the target after considering the time allowances. The game’s on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough, Sharfuddoula, Joel Wilson, and Alex Wharf have charged Mohammed Rizwan’s side with the offence, and match referee Andy Pycroft sanctioned the penalty. As a result, the Pakistan team has faced a deduction of five percent from their match fee.
ICC Fines Pakistan Team for Slow Over-Rate Against New Zealand
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also issued an official statement regarding the matter.
“Pakistan were found one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration,” the ICC stated.
Notably, this penalty is based on the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which states that teams will be fined five percent of their match fee for every over they fail to bowl within the allotted time. Pakistan’s captain Mohammed Rizwan has accepted the chargess, so no formal hearing was required.
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Injury Troubles for Pakistan
Apart from the slow over-rate issue, Pakistan have also been struggling with injuries. One of the latest setbacks is the injury to opening batter Fakhar Zaman, who suffered a lower back injury during the match against New Zealand. Due to this, Fakhar has been ruled out of the tournament, and the team has named Imam-ul-Haq as his replacement.
Looking ahead, Pakistan will face their biggest challenge as they take on their arch-rivals, India on February 23, Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. Their final group-stage match will be against Bangladesh on February 27 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
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Ahead of the marquee clash against India, the Men in Green will aim to bounce back from their defeat and avoid any further slow over-rate penalties.
