Birmingham: Pakistan have been fined half of their match fee and deducted 11 World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over rate during the third Test against England in Birmingham, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.
The ICC ruled that Pakistan were 11 overs short of the required rate after time allowances were taken into account.
The sanction was imposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees after the match officials levelled the charge against Pakistan.
Under ICC rules, teams lose one World Test Championship point for every over they fall short. Players are also fined five per cent of their match fee for each over missed, with the team penalty capped at 50 per cent.
The deduction leaves Pakistan at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings with a points percentage of 4.63 down from 14.81.
The penalty follows a difficult Test series for Pakistan, who lost the Birmingham match by eight wickets on Saturday. England completed a 3 to 0 sweep of the series.
Pakistan had also been penalised in May for a slow over rate during a Test against Bangladesh, when the team was fined 40 per cent of its match fees and lost eight World Test Championship points.
The latest punishment compounds Pakistan’s struggles in the championship cycle, turning an already disappointing series against England into an even costlier setback.
