Sri Lanka Penalized for Slow Over-Rate in ODI Against Zimbabwe

Sri Lanka's cricket team has been fined five percent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate in the second One Day International (ODI) against Zimbabwe, held in Harare. The sanction was announced through a media release by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

ICC Elite Panel Match Referee Jeff Crowe imposed the penalty after Sri Lanka was found to be one over short of the target, despite allowances for time. This aligns with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct concerning minimum over-rate offences, where players face a financial penalty for each over failed in the stipulated time.

Sri Lanka's skipper, Charith Asalanka, admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction, thus bypassing a formal hearing. The decision followed similar fines in the first ODI against Zimbabwe, where Sri Lanka also received a five percent penalty due to a slow over-rate. Despite this challenge, pacer Dilshan Madushanka's hat-trick in the second ODI ensured a narrow seven-run victory for Sri Lanka, although Zimbabwe saw strong performances from Ben Curran, Sean Williams, and Sikandar Raza.

(With inputs from agencies.)