While Windies have taken the 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against the hosts India on Sunday (15th December), captain Kieron Pollard and his teammates have been fined heavily for the slow over-rate offence.
It was the first ODI of the series between India and Windies at Chennai that the Caribbean side won by eight wickets (with 13 balls remaining). However, the match officials have found that Kieron Pollard-led Windies side had four overs short of its target after adjusting the time allowances.
The four match-umpires put that slow over-rate offence charge on the Windies side. These umpires are on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Shaun George, third umpire Rodney Tucker and fourth umpire Anil Chaudhary.
The team have been fined according to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. This article is related to minimum over-rate offences, and it says, “players are fined 20% of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.”
While the Caribbean team was four overs short of the target in that game, each of the Windies players has been fined 80% of their match fees.
Windies captain Kieron Pollard has admitted that offence and also accepted the proposed sanction. So, there is no requirement for the formal hearing.
Twin centuries helped Windies to win that ODI easily
After Windies captain Pollard won the toss in that Chennai ODI, he decided to bowl first. Though the Indian top-order failed on that afternoon, the hosts still managed to score 287/8 (50 overs) in the first innings, thanks to Shreyas Iyer (70) and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (71).
However, that challenging target wasn’t enough for the hosts as the visitors comfortably chased that target in 47.5 overs after losing two wickets. Opening wicketkeeper-batsman Shai Hope (102 runs off 151 balls) and the Player of the Match award winner Shimron Hetmyer (139 runs off 106 balls) scored centuries in that easy chase.
India and Windies will play the second ODI of this series on this Wednesday (18th December) at Visakhapatnam.