Azhar Ali fined 100% match fee for slow over-rate, rest of the team fined half their fees

Pakistan Cricket Team has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the second Test in Hamilton which concluded on Tuesday. Pakistan were found to have fallen short of the targeted over rate by five overs, resulting in stand-in captain Azhar Ali being fined 100 percent of his match fee, while the rest of the team 50% of their fees each under International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Article 2.5.1 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

Azhar pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the sanction, so there didn’t arise a need for a formal hearing.

Earlier, Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq was suspended for one Test match and fined 40 per cent of match fee after his team maintained a slow over-rate in the First test at Christchurch during the eight-wicket loss to New Zealand.

This was the 42-year-old’s second over-rate offence in a span of 12 months. Earlier, men in green were found guilty of a similar offence in the last Test against England at The Oval. Misbah, in any case, was likely to miss the Hamilton Test due to the death of his father-in-law.

New Zealand took nine wickets in a dramatic final session to win by 130 runs and clean sweep the series 2-0. It was also New Zealand’s first series win over Pakistan since 1985.

When the final session began, a draw seemed the likeliest result, and a New Zealand win felt less likely than a Pakistan win. With a minimum of 34 overs left, the visitors needed 211, with nine wickets in hand. All of those wickets fell within the space of 24.3 overs. Last six wickets fell down in a span of 11 overs.

This was the first ever instance of Pakistan losing three consecutive Tests against the Kiwis. New Zealand won by an innings and 80 runs in the final Test of the previous series between the two sides in Sharjah and by 8 wickets.

The New Zealand skipper said it was "without a doubt, right up there" for the more dramatic final sessions he has ever played.

"It was going to be a big challenge, and it was for us - coming home from India, a tough series against South Africa - the way the guys picked themselves up, I suppose went back to the drawing board, how we like to play our cricket at home, that we're familiar with. Sometimes the baggage from previous results can be tough to get past," Williamson said.