The USA became the first team to be penalized under the stop-clock rule during their ICC T20 World Cup Group A match against India in New York on Wednesday.
They were hit with five penalty runs, marking the first instance of this rule being enforced in international cricket.
The stop-clock rule, which was trialed in international matches from December last year, became a permanent fixture in April 2024. The rule requires teams to start the next over within 60 seconds. A bowling team receives two warnings for time violations, and any further violations result in a five-run penalty.
During the low-scoring contest at the Nassau County International Stadium, the USA made their third violation, triggering the penalty. Commentator Ebony Rainford-Brent remarked, “Three times they have exceeded the sixty seconds they have allotted to get through between overs. So they have been going slow, moving slow, maybe overthinking due to the pressure in this game.”
The penalty came when India was 76/3, needing 35 runs in the last five overs. This extra five runs, combined with Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten fifty, helped India secure a seven-wicket victory and advance to the Super 8 stage.
Former India international and ICC commentator Dinesh Karthik explained the impact of the new rule, noting that India narrowly avoided a similar penalty in their match against Pakistan. “Now America have definitely done this to themselves,” he added.
In the match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first. The USA posted a total of 110/8 in their 20 overs, with contributions from Nitish Kumar (27) and Steven Taylor (24). Arshdeep Singh (4/9) and Hardik Pandya (2/14) were the standout bowlers for India.
Chasing 111, India struggled initially, losing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant early. At 39/3 in 7.3 overs, Suryakumar Yadav (50*) and Shivam Dube (31*) formed a crucial 72-run partnership to guide India to victory.
Saurabh Netravalkar (2/18) was the pick of the bowlers for the USA. Arshdeep Singh was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his impressive spell.
