Bangladesh vs Pakistan (Photo AFP)
Pakistan suffered a double blow after their historic defeat to Bangladesh as the ICC slapped the side with a hefty fine, earning them crucial points in the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship rankings.The ICC confirmed on Friday that Pakistan had been fined 40 per cent of their match fee and penalized eight points for maintaining a slow overscore during the opening Test against Bangladesh. After accounting for time allowances, visitors were found to be eight overs short of the required goal.The sanction caused a major early setback to Pakistan’s WTC campaign. After the points deduction, they dropped to eighth in the table with just four points, sitting only above the West Indies.The famous Bangladeshi script wonThe penalty came just days after Bangladesh stunned Pakistan by 104 runs in the first Test – their first ever home Test victory over Pakistan – as the visitors collapsed under pressure on the final day.Fast bowler Nahid Rana was the star of the match and produced a brilliant five-wicket haul that collected a memorable victory for Bangladesh and left Pakistan facing intense scrutiny.Why the ICC took actionUnder Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, players are fined five percent of their match fee for each over if their team fails to bowl within the stipulated time. With Pakistan eight overs short, the team suffered a 40 per cent penalty.Point deductions are governed by Article 16.11.2 of the World Test Championship Rules of Play, which states that teams lose one championship point for each time the limit is exceeded.Pakistan captain Shan Masood accepted the offense and the proposed sanction, meaning a formal hearing was not necessary.The charges were leveled by umpires Richard Kettleborough and Kumar Dharmasena, along with third umpire Allahuddien Palekar and fourth umpire Gazi Sohel, while match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the penalty.
