Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been fined 10% and 5% of their match fees, respectively, for maintaining a slow over rate during the first tri-series ODI in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Pakistan were found to be two overs short of the target, taking the allowed time delays into account, while Sri Lanka were one over behind.
Captains accept sanctions for slow over rates
Match referee Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees charged the two sides with five per cent of their match fees per over under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with minimum over-rate offences, ranging from five (in T20Is) to 20 (in ODIs/Tests) per cent of match fees.
Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis accepted the sanctions, making a formal hearing unnecessary. On-field umpires Asif Yaqoob and Wayne Knights, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Faisal Afridi levelled the charge.
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs
Pakistan got off to a winning start in the tri-series after defeating Sri Lanka by 37 runs in a game that was largely evenly poised. Salman Ali Agha’s ton helped Pakistan set a 305-run target after suffering two mini-collapses.
Besides Salman, Babar Azam scored 45 runs, as he batted with debutant Saad Baig to help Pakistan recover from the early loss of their openers.
While Sri Lanka got off to a decent start, Pakistan pacers proved too good for the visitors as they ran through the top and upper-middle-order batters. A Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage special helped them out of misery for a while. The two batters added a 119-run partnership and took turns punishing all Pakistan bowlers, with the exception of Naseem Shah.
The two batters kept bringing Sri Lanka into the game one ball at a time until the 38th over. That’s when Faheem Ashraf struck to break the stand. The resistance fizzled out after that, with Pakistan bowlers making regular inroads and wrapping up the Sri Lankan batting line-up by the 49th over.
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