In the Champions Trophy 2025 opening match against New Zealand, Pakistan was penalized for maintaining a slow over rate. In Karachi, the two sides are engaged in a fierce battle.
Pakistan chose to bowl first after winning the toss. Will Young and Tom Latham’s centuries helped New Zealand claw their way back into the match after losing a few early wickets. Both players hit 107 and 118 runs, respectively, as the Kiwis put up a formidable 320/5.
However, despite Mohammad Rizwan’s decision to use spin to change speed in the middle overs, Pakistan was unable to sustain the over rate. During his time, Pacer Haris Rauf had several false starts, which caused them to fall further behind. There were also a few delays as a result of Rizwan’s frequent conversations with his bowlers in between overs.
Pakistan forced Khushdil Shah and Abrar Ahmed to bowl in from overs 41–44 in order to prevent the disaster. This did not produce better outcomes because they were unable to catch up by the 48th over.
The club was then given a penalty, allowing them to place only four fielders (instead of five) beyond the 30-yard circle during the final powerplay of the inning.
According to the Champions Trophy playing criteria, an ODI innings must be finished in three and a half hours, with a minimum over rate of 14.28 overs per hour required.
However, the first innings ended at 6:11 PM local time, bringing the total innings length to just over four hours.
According to the ICC’s Code of Conduct, if a fielding team member fails to meet the minimum rate, which is limited at 50% of the match price, they will be fined 5% of their match fee per over. Players from Pakistan may also be fined for falling behind in this regard.