In a significant development at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Pakistan has been penalized for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first Test against Bangladesh. The team was fined 40 percent of their match fee and deducted eight points from their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) tally.
The sanction was handed down by Jeff Crowe, a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, who determined that Pakistan fell short by eight overs after accounting for time allowances. This ruling aligns with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which mandates a five percent fine of the match fee for each over a side fails to bowl within the allotted time. Consequently, Pakistan incurred a 40 percent fine.
Furthermore, under Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, teams lose one WTC point per over they are behind the required rate, resulting in Pakistan’s eight-point deduction. Pakistan’s captain, Shan Masood, acknowledged the slow over-rate offence and accepted the penalty, which eliminated the need for a formal hearing.
The charge was brought forward by the on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Kumar Dharmasena, along with third umpire Allahuddien Palekar and fourth umpire Gazi Sohel. This disciplinary action followed Bangladesh’s historic 104-run victory, marking their first home Test win against Pakistan.
During the match, Pakistan was chasing a target of 268 runs and appeared well-positioned at 119 for 3 before suffering a dramatic collapse that saw them all out for 163. Bangladesh had earlier posted a commanding 413 runs in their first innings, highlighted by a century from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and a fluent 91 from Mominul Haque.
Pakistan responded with 386 runs, boosted by a debut century from Azan Awais and valuable contributions from Abdullah Fazal and Mohammad Rizwan. This result elevated Bangladesh to sixth place in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings, while Pakistan dropped to seventh following their second defeat in three matches.
