ICC PENALISES Team India For Slow Over Rate, WTC Points DOCKED

Rohit Sharma and Co. have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee and penalised two ICC World Test Championship points.

Centurion: In what could be called as rubbing salt into the wound, the International Cricket Council has penalised the Indian team after the first Test at Centurion for slow-over rate. Rohit Sharma and Co. have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee and penalised two ICC World Test Championship points.

Chris Broad of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.

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. Consequently, two World Test Championship points have been deducted from India’s points total.

India captain Rohit Sharma pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Langton Rusere, third umpire Ahsan Raza and fourth umpire Stephen Harris leveled the charge.

India entered the series at the top position but their defeat by an innings and 32 runs saw them drop to the fifth position. Meanwhile, South Africa jumped to the top spot.

After the first match, India now have 44.44 percentage points while South Africa sit with 100 percentage points. With this loss, India extended their 31-year wait for a Test series win in South Africa. Having scored 245 in the first innings, the Indian batters managed only 131 in 34.1 overs in the second innings after South Africa managed a handsome 408 in its first essay.

(With ICC, Agency inputs)