Pakistan men's cricket team on Monday were fined five per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during the Final of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series against Sri Lanka in Lahore on Saturday. The hosts were found to be one over short after time allowances were taken into consideration by Match Referee Jeff Crowe.
"Their breach was 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," the ICC said in a statement. On field umpires Ahsan Raza and Wayne Knights, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and fourth umpire Rashid Riaz levelled the charge. Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi pled guilty to the slow over-rate offence and accepted the proposed sanction, the ICC release further said.
The fine comes after Pakistan registered a thrilling three-wicket victory over Sri Lanka to lift the tri-series trophy in front of their home crowd. Chasing a huge target of 326, the hosts reached 331 for seven with nine balls remaining, completing the tournament-winning run chase.
Fakhar Zaman was the chief architect of Pakistan’s successful pursuit, scoring 127 off 99 deliveries, his 12th ODI century. He received valuable support from Saad Baig, who scored 74 off 75 balls, as the pair rescued the hosts after early dismissals of Maaz Sadaqat (5 off 7) and Babar Azam (0 off 5). With Pakistan needing late impetus after Zaman’s dismissal, Arafat Minhas delivered a decisive contribution, smashing 61 off just 31 deliveries, including four sixes and as many boundaries. His aggressive knock brought the equation within reach before Shaheen sealed the victory with a six. Earlier, Kamindu Mendis had struck 131, while Pavan Rathnayake contributed 77, taking Sri Lanka to 325 for eight. However, their efforts proved insufficient as Pakistan completed the chase to claim the tri-series title.
Yousuf advises struggling Babar to 'go to Australia'
Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf on Sunday advised star Pakistan batter Babar Azam to travel to Australia or South Africa and seek specialised help to address the technical flaws in his batting, saying playing first-class cricket alone may not be enough to resolve his prolonged slump. Babar's struggles came into focus again during Pakistan's big run chase against Sri Lanka in the tri-series final on Saturday, as he failed to make a significant contribution despite his team's triumph in the tournament.
"He should be going to South Africa or Australia and just focusing on working on his batting now. That will help him," Yousuf said in a post on social media on Sunday, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Babar, who has scored just one century in the last three years in one-day internationals, will be leading Pakistan in the two Test series against Sri Lanka from 9 November but serious doubts have arisen over his place in the white ball squads. The 32-year-old, who has 20 hundreds in ODIs, has already been dropped from the T20 format and if he is to make Pakistan’s squad for next year’s World Cup he will have to show a big reversal in form and attitude in his batting. He has also opted to play a first-class match for Lahore in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which begins on November 3, to prepare for the upcoming Test series.
