West Indies have been fined 20 per cent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate in the first T20I against India in Trinidad on Friday, ICC confirmed in a media release. Richie Richardson of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after the West Indies were ruled to be one over 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 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time,” stated the official release.
Captain Nicholas Pooran plead guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Leslie Reifer and Nigel Duguid, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Patrick Gustard leveled the charge.
India captain Rohit Sharma was in fine touch in the first T20I against West Indies and he went on to play a knock of 64 runs off just 44 balls with the help of 7 fours and 2 sixes. Along the course of this innings, Rohit surpassed New Zealand batter Martin Guptill to become the leading run-scorer in men’s T20Is.
