India, West Indies penalised for slow overrate in first T20I

Tarouba [Trinidad and Tobago]: Team India and West Indies have been fined for maintaining a slow overrate during the first T20I of the five-match series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba on Thursday.

Both teams fell short of the minimum overrate during their bowling innings in the first T20I encounter and have been handed fines. India fell an over short during their bowling innings, resulting in a 5 per cent reduction in their match fees. West Indies, on the other hand, fell two overs short, resulting in a 10 per cent match fee reduction for their players.

“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,” International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a  statement.

“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 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,” it added.

Richie Richardson of the 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 pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Gregory Brathwaite and Patrick Gustard, third umpire Nigel Duguid and fourth umpire Leslie Reifer levelled the charges.

In the first T20I of the five-match series, West Indies won the match, holding India to 145/9 while defending a target of 150.

The victory in Tarouba gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. The remaining matches will be played in Guyana and Florida.