Pakistan move ahead of India in WTC Points Table after a two-point penalty

The Indian team suffered a double heartbreak, as they lost the fifth and final Test match of the England series on Tuesday, and were also docked two World Test Championship (WTC) points. 

Apart from the penalty of two points, the match fee for the Indian team has been slashed by 40% for the same offence that occurred at Edgbaston. 

With this penalty, Pakistan have risen above India in the WTC points table to settle at the third position with three wins and 44 points in the 2021-23 Cycle. 

Although the Indian team has 75 points, they lag behind their arch-rivals in terms of point percentage (PCT). India has a point percentage of 52.08, while Pakistan is slightly ahead with a PCT of 52.38 per cent. 

The England batters, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, were dismissive of the Indian bowlers to complete their highest-ever successful run-chase of 378 in the history of red-ball cricket. 

Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel states that every player will be fined 20 percent of his match fee if their respective team fails to complete the stipulated overs. 

Furthermore, Article 16.11.2 of the ICC WTC playing conditions suggests that a team will be penalized one point for each over short. 

The Jasprit Bumrah-led side fell short by two overs. Hence are docked a couple of WTC points and are fined 40 percent of their match fee. 

In the current WTC cycle, the Indian team must win almost all their remaining six matches to secure a place in the final. 

The upcoming assignments for the team in the longest format are the two-match Bangladesh series and the four-match series against Australia. 

Match referee David Boon imposed the sanction after consultation with the on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar, third umpire Marais Erasmus and fourth umpire Alex Wharf, who levelled these charges.