Team India Fined For Slow Over Rate During First ODI Against Australia

Team India players have been fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against Australia in the first ODI in Sydney on Friday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Saturday.

Playing their first game since March, India looked messy on the field as their bowling innings was filled with dropped catches and misfields and erratic bowling and a slow over rate. The visitors finished failed to finish their 50 overs in time and have been sanctioned by the governing body.

Match referee David Boon imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. On-field umpires Rod Tucker and Sam Nogajski, TV umpire Paul Reiffel and fourth umpire Gerard Abood leveled the charge.

“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time,” stated a release from the ICC.

Kohli pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

Australia take the lead:

Talking about the game, Australia beat the Men in Blue by 66 runs to take the led in the three-match series. Batting first, the hosts piled up a mammoth total of 374 for 6 in the allotted 50 overs. Skipper Aaron Finch led from the front and scored 114 while Steve Smith scored a 62-ball hundred. The likes of David Warner (69) and Glenn Maxwell (45 off 19) also played fine knocks.

In reply, India ended their innings on 308 for 8. At one stage, they were reeling at 101 for 4 and it looked like they would end up with an embarrassing total. But thanks to a 128-run stand between Shikhar Dhawan (74) and Hardik Pandya (90), India showed some fight and ended with a respectable total.

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