Babar Azam And Co. Sanctioned By ICC After Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 Defeat To SA
Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Babar Azam at the 2023 World Cup (AP)
Pakistan cricket team, under Babar Azam, faltered in their must-win World Cup 2023 match against South Africa in a hard-fought Chennai thriller. The defeat marked their fourth in succession in the tournament, further denting their chances of securing a top-four finish, and highlighting their dwindling fortunes.
It appears that Pakistan’s troubles have now taken a turn for the worse, as the “Men in Green” players have been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
ICC World Cup 2023 officials level charges against Babar Azam
The Pakistan cricket team was found to be four overs short during South Africa’s high-octane run-chase in Chennai. As per the ICC Code of Conduct, players from the guilty team are fined five percent of their match fees for every over that is failed to be bowled within the allotted time.
On-field umpires Alex Wharf and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Richard Kettleborough sanctioned Pakistan captain Babar Azam and imposed a penalty of 20 percent match fees on the entire team.
On the cricketing front, the Pakistan team needs to win each of their remaining three fixtures in a bid to entertain any chances of securing a spot in the semi-finals.
Earlier this month, Babar Azam and co. launched their World Cup 2023 campaign with confident wins against Netherlands and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. However, they lost their subsequent four fixtures against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa as they stare towards a certain elimination from the tournament.
Pakistan will now face Bangladesh in a virtual dead-rubber on October 31. The match will be played out at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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