Published: Jun 04, 2017, 08:31 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 04, 2017, 08:31 AM (IST)
Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga is banned for the next two Champions Trophy matches due to a slow over-rate in Saturday’s opening loss to South Africa. The suspension, handed down by the ICC after Sri Lanka’s 96 run Group B defeat at The Oval, rules Tharanga out of the match against India at The Oval on June 8 and Pakistan in Cardiff on June 12. Sri Lanka fell foul of the rules after they took four hours and seven minutes to finish their overs during the South African innings. ICC rules stipulate that teams should finish their 50 overs within three-and-a-half hours. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD, Sri Lanka vs South Africa – Match 3
As well as Tharanga’s ban, Sri Lanka players were fined 10% of their match fees for the first two overs and 20% of their match fees for the additional overs their side failed to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain also receiving two suspension points, the ICC said in a statement. Tharanga pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing, the statement added. The charge was laid by on-field umpires Ian Gould and Aleem Dar, TV umpire Paul Reiffel and fourth official Bruce Oxenford.
In an otherwise dull chase from Sri Lanka, it was the skipper Tharanga, who showed great resilience to make sure that he can allow and steer Sri Lanka home. He managed to play a safe innings of 57 off 69 deliveries, including six boundaries, with a strike rate of 83, before falling to Imran Tahir, which basically sealed Sri Lanka’s fate.
