Big blow to Pakistan as ICC slaps Shan Masood-led side with hefty fine, docks WTC points due to…

Pakistan and Bangladesh have lost crucial World Test Championship points due to maintaining slow over-rates in the recently concluded first Test at Rawalpindi, giving both teams a major setback in the race to reach the final.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said match referee Ranjan Madugalle imposed the sanctions after seeing that Pakistan were six overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration and lost six WTC points.

On the other hand, after securing a ten-wicket win, Bangladesh have been docked three WTC points after being found three overs short of the acceptable rate. Due to the sanctions, Bangladesh have now dropped to seventh place and will drop behind South Africa in the standings, while Pakistan remain in the eighth spot.

There have been financial penalties too - Pakistan were fined 30% of their match fee while Bangladesh were penalised 15%.

“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.”

“In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short,” said the ICC.

Both captains Shan Masood and Najmul Hossain Shanto pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings. Bangladesh have a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and will face Pakistan in the second Test at Rawalpindi on Friday.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct in the same game. In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Shakib, for whom it was the first offence in 24 months.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. The incident occurred in the 33rd over of Pakistan’s second innings on Sunday, when Shakib threw the ball towards the batter in an inappropriate manner, the ball going over Mohammad Rizwan’s head to the wicketkeeper.

“Shakib was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match’,” said the ICC.

Shakib admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Madugalle, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Rashid Riaz levelled the charges.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from IANS) 

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