ICC punishes India and West Indies for slow over-rates in 1st T20I
ICC punishes India and West Indies : The ICC announced that it has fined both India and the West Indies after captains Hardik Pandya and Rovman Powell admitted to the offence.
India and West Indies have received fines from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first T20I between the two sides played in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday. Hosts West Indies took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series by winning the game by four wickets.
The ICC said that while India were guilty of falling one over short of the minimum over rate, West Indies were two behind. “India was fined five per cent of their match fee for falling one over short of the minimum over rate, while West Indies have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee for falling two overs short of the minimum over rate,” it said in its statement.
“Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Hardik Pandya and Rovman Powell’s sides were ruled to be one and two overs short respectively of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.”
Pandya and Powell accept the sanctions
Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel relates to minimum over-rate offences. The ICC said that the players are “fined five per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, subject to a cap of 50 per cent of the match fee.”
The international governing body stated that a further hearing was not necessary as Hardik Pandya and Rovman Powell pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions. “On-field umpires Gregory Brathwaite and Patrick Gustard, third umpire Nigel Duguid and fourth umpire Leslie Reifer leveled the charges,” it said.
West Indies batted first and put up a total 149/6. Captain Powell top scored with 48 off 32 while Nicholas Pooran scored 41 in 34. Former skipper Jason Holder then starred with the ball as the West Indies restricted India to a total of 145/9, thus securing victory in the match. Holder ended the match with figures of 2/19 in four overs and won the player of the match award as well. He bowled a double wicket maiden over in the 16th, which definitively turned the tide in the West Indies’ favour.
While captain Pandya was dismissed off the first ball of the over, Sanju Samson was then run out, leaving Axar Patel as the only recognised batter for India in the death overs. Axar fell in the 19th over to Obed McCoy and while Arshdeep Singh hit two back to back fours in that over to keep India’s hopes alive, it ended up being too much for their long tail to do.
