Pakistani cricket team suffered yet another big blow following their 90-run loss to the West Indies in the opening Test match at Trinidad on Tuesday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has now penalized two of their pacers for unsporting behaviour. After dismissing West Indian batsman Shai Hope in the second innings, Khurram Shahzad celebrated too close to him and was fined 15% of his match fee. Additionally, he received one demerit point.
The other bowler from Pakistan who is fined by the ICC is Mohammad Abbas, whose celebration following the dismissal of Jomel Warrican was deemed inappropriate. He was far too excited. It was the final wicket of the Caribbean innings, and Pakistan needed 211 to win. Unlike Shahzad, Abbas, who finished a fifer with that wicket, received an official reprimand for his actions but was not penalized. However, Shahzad received one demerit point.
ICC Punishes PAK Pacers
“Both players admitted their offenses and accepted the sanctions proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for formal hearings,” an ICC release said.
The West Indies dominated the game for a significant portion of it. They won the game and took a 1-0 lead in the two-game series after bowling the visitors out for 120 in the fourth innings thanks to a five-for from Jayden Seales. None of their hitters were able to withstand the bowlers of the hosts, with the exception of skipper Babar Azam (58 not out).
Babar Azam On Loss vs WI
Following the loss, Azam blamed his team’s lackluster performance in the last innings of the game to a finger injury sustained by first-innings centurion Shan Masood.
“Yes, Shan Masood’s injury affected us because, unfortunately, his finger is fractured, so we definitely missed him. At the same time, when you’re facing the new ball, you have to survive the first 20 overs, build partnerships, and then, as the ball gets older, the pitch becomes easier to bat on. We couldn’t put together those partnerships.
“We played good cricket in the last few days, but today we were not up to the mark as a batting unit. The surface is good, and we expected the new ball to move, for which we were prepared… but I think they bowled very well and used the conditions nicely. We’ll sit together and discuss these things because, while the result hasn’t gone our way, we can certainly address our mistakes. We’ll do our best to correct them and ensure we improve going forward,” Azam said.
On August 2, the second and final match will begin in Port of Spain.
