Karachi, Nov 18 (UNI) Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been fined 10 percent of his match fee and has received a demerit point following an incident during the third One Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka.
The incident involved Babar hitting the stumps with his bat before leaving the crease after his dismissal.
The breach occurred in the 21st over of Pakistan’s innings when Babar, batting on 34, was dismissed bowled by Jeffrey Vandersay. Babar was found to have violated Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to the misuse of cricket equipment or fixtures during an international match.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Alex Wharf and Rashid Riaz, with third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Faisal Afridi involved in the process. Ali Naqvi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees proposed the sanction. As Babar admitted the offence and accepted the penalty, no formal hearing was necessary.
This incident marks Babar’s first offence in a 24-month period, resulting in the addition of a demerit point to his disciplinary record.
Pakistan secured a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka, with Babar playing a pivotal role by scoring 165 runs in the series, including a historic 20th ODI century. His performance was instrumental in Pakistan’s series victory.
