ICC Punishes Pakistan After 3-0 ODI Series Defeat vs New Zealand

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has punished the Mohammed Siraj-led Pakistan side for maintaining a slow over rate for the third successive fixture against New Zealand in the three-match series. They lost the series by a margin of 3-0, with the last game ending at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

This sanction will taste sour for the players of the Green Brigade after the home side blew them away with a margin of 4-1 in the five-match T20I series.

Pakistan faces sanctions for maintaininga slow over-rate in the third New Zealand ODI

Jeff Crowe is a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees. He imposed the sanction following Pakistan’s failure to overshoot the stipulated target with the time allowances taken into consideration.

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“By Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offenses, players are fined five percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.” The ICC issued the statement.

“Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan pled guilty to the offense after on-field umpires Chris Brown and Paul Reiffel, along with third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Wayne Knights, leveled the charge.” The statement added.

That was the third consecutive instance of the Green Brigade getting fined for the slow over-rate from the series against the Blackcaps, who dominated the 50-over and 20-over series at home.

Pakistan earns a T20I and ODI series defeat

In the absence of many veteran players, including Rizwan and Babar Azam, the Green Brigade started the T20I series with a nine-wicket defeat at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch as the home side chased down 92 runs with nearly 10 overs to spare.

During the very next game of the fixture, the visitors posted a decent total of 135/9 in the allotted 15 overs. But the Kiwis made fun of the home side by chasing the total with nearly two overs to go and five wickets in hand in Dunedin.

At Eden Park in Auckland, Pakistan chased down 207 runs in 16 overs with four overs to spare. But the Michael Bracewell side made a strong comeback in the game as they bundled out the away side for 105 in the second innings to earn a 105-run win.

At the McLean Park in Napier, during the first of a three-match ODI series, the Kiwis defended 345 runs to earn a 73-run victory. During the second fixture, they got an 84-run win at the Seddon Park in Hamilton. In the final fixture, they blew away Pakistan for 221 runs in the second innings to get a 43-run victory.

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“Our ability to finish games is lagging, which is why I think we are not able to produce results.” Rizwan expressed that they failed to seal the game while chasing.

Pakistan players’ focus shifts to PSL10.

With the end of the bilateral series, the entire focus for the Green Bridge shifts to the upcoming PSL 10, which is starting on April 11, between the Islamabad United and the Lahore Qalandars at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The best players of the tournament will hope to get a chance for the national side in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. They will also want to forget their previous performances from the last two ICC events, where they failed to qualify for the semifinal and the super eight stage.