Pakistan is in danger of dropping to 0 points in the WTC table after the latest sanction

The England tour is over, but Pakistan is still paying. The fallout from the miserable series continued for Pakistan as the International Cricket Council on Monday deducted 11 Test World Cup points for sustaining a slow overhaul in the third Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

After the time limits were taken into account, Pakistan were adjudged to have bowled 11 overs below the required rate. They were also fined 50 percent of their players’ match fees, the maximum penalty allowed under the ICC Code of Conduct. Match referee Ranjan Madugalle of the ICC Elite Panel imposed the penalty. Pakistan captain Babar Azam pleaded guilty to the offense and accepted the proposed punishment, meaning no formal hearing was necessary.

The deduction leaves Pakistan with just five points from nine Tests in the current Test World Cup cycle. They slipped to ninth with a points percentage of 4.63.

It’s another blow to a team whose tour of England has already brought plenty of turmoil. Pakistan’s third Test summed up a chaotic tour of England. They were bowled out for 133 in the first innings at Edgbaston but fought back to set England a target of 130. before losing by eight wickets to complete the series defeat 3–0. The defeat came after major changes following the first two Tests, with seven players sent home and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul removed from their roles. The Pakistan Cricket Board too initiated an internal disciplinary investigation to messages regarding discipline and behavior during the tour.

The damage has now spread to the WTC table.

Pakistan have won only two of their nine Tests, with each win worth 12 points. They also incurred the cost of over-rate fines, which are deducted separately from the points earned for the results. In WTC terms, a team gets 12 points for a win, four for a draw and six for a tie.

The latest 11-point deduction is particularly significant given how little Pakistan have collected from nine matches. Their hopes of qualifying for the WTC finals are now all but over. Pakistan are rooted to the bottom of the table, 91 points behind leaders Australia. Screengrab from the ICC website.

HOW DOES THE ICC RULE WORK?

The penalty follows from article 16.11.2 of the WTC game conditions, according to which a team loses one championship point for each overtime that does not reach the required rate.

The financial penalty was imposed under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Players are fined five percent of their match fee for each breach of their team’s cap, with the total penalty capped at 50 percent.

Pakistan therefore paid the maximum possible match fee penalty and lost 11 points from their WTC list.

Babar Azam’s men next face Sri Lanka in a two-Test series in Lahore and Karachi in November.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

14 Sep 2026 13:36 IST