Pakistan have been hit with a World Test Championship points penalty for slow over-rates in their defeat to South Africa in Cape Town, leaving them in danger of slipping down to last place in the table.
Pakistan lost the second Test match of their series against South Africa yesterday (January 6), slipping to a 10 wicket defeat having been made to follow-on. They have now been fined 25 per cent of their match fee and deducted five World Test Championship points after they were deemed to be five overs short of where they should have been.
The penalty was applied in accordance with Article 2.2 of the ICC's Code of Conduct which sets out the calculation for whether a team has met the required over rate or not. A team is docked one World Test Championship point for every over they were short of the rate. This is Pakistan's third points deduction in this World Test Championship cycle. They were previously docked two points after their Test against Australia in Perth in December 2023, and they were docked six points following their first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in August last year.
The punishment means Pakistan are now dangerously close to finishing the cycle at the bottom of the table. They currently sit in eighth position on a PCT of 24.31, narrowly above West Indies in last, whose PCT is 24.24. Pakistan have two Tests of the current cycle left, which will be against West Indies later this month. They must win that series to finish above West Indies in the table and avoid last place. If the series is drawn, West Indies will go above them in the table.
Only two sides have avoided over-rate penalties in the current cycle. South Africa, who have qualified for the final in first position, have played 12 matches without penalty, and fifth-placed Sri Lanka have played 11 Tests without penalty. England have fallen foul of the over-rate rule the most, and have accumulated 22 points worth of deductions as a result.
Updated World Test Championship table after Pakistan's over-rate penalty
No comments:
Post a Comment