Pakistan’s dismal tour of New Zealand ended on another low note, as the team was penalized for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third and final One Day International (ODI) at Mount Maunganui. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side was fined five percent of their match fee, marking the third consecutive over-rate offence in the recently concluded series against the Black Caps.
The sanction, imposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, came after Pakistan was found to be one over short of the required number even after considering time allowances. The penalty falls under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which mandates a five percent fine for each over a team fails to bowl within the stipulated timeframe.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan accepted the charge without a formal hearing. The charge was brought forward by on-field umpires Chris Brown and Paul Reiffel, with third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Wayne Knights also involved in the decision-making process.
This is the third straight match in which Pakistan has been fined for slow over-rates in the ODI leg of the tour, further compounding their woes. The team failed to secure a single win in the three-match ODI series, having already lost the five-match T20I series 4-1.
New Zealand, led by an in-form unit, dominated throughout both legs of the tour, leaving Pakistan with several questions to answer heading into future fixtures. Alongside performance concerns, repeated over-rate violations now add to Pakistan’s growing list of on-field discipline issues that the management must urgently address.