Pakistan fined 5% of match fee for slow over-rate in Tri-Series final

The International Cricket Council has fined Pakistan 5 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate in the ODI Tri-Series final against Sri Lanka, played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

According to the ICC, Pakistan were one over short of the required rate after time allowances were taken into account. Match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the penalty under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The charge was brought by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Wayne Knights, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Rashid Riaz. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction, so no formal hearing was needed.

ProPakistani reported that this was Pakistan's second slow over-rate offence in the tournament. The team had earlier been fined 10 per cent of their match fee for being two overs short against Sri Lanka in the opening match in Rawalpindi on October 18.

On the field, Pakistan won the title with a three-wicket victory, chasing 326 and finishing on 331/7 in 48.3 overs, with nine balls remaining. Sri Lanka had scored 325/8 in 50 overs, with Kamindu Mendis making 131 off 128 balls and Pavan Rathnayake 77 off 65 balls.

Pakistan were in trouble early, with Maaz Sadaqat out for five and Babar Azam for a duck with 14 runs on the board. Fakhar Zaman and Saad Baig then added 149 for the third wicket. Fakhar made 127 off 99 balls, his 12th ODI century, and Saad scored 74 off 75.

Arafat Minhas hit 61 off 31 balls and added 94 for the sixth wicket with Hasan Nawaz, who stayed not out on 37. Shaheen finished the chase with a six. For Pakistan, Shaheen, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Salman Ali Agha took two wickets each.