Inzamam fined for slow over rate

Pakistan's captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, has been fined 100% of his match fee, after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct for his side's slow over rate in their victory over West Indies on Tuesday.

Chris Broad, the ICC's match referee, found Inzamam guilty of breaching Clause C1 of the Code of Conduct, which states that players shall at all times conduct play within the spirit of the game and that, in particular, captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that this is adhered to.

At a hearing conducted after the close of play on Tuesday, Inzamam was found guilty of a Level 2 breach, and because he was captain, he was fined an additional 30% of his fee, which means that he was actually paying for the privilege of playing. The rest of the Pakistan players were fined 15% of their fees.

All Level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a 50% fine, and a maximum penalty of a full match fee and/or a one Test or two one-day international ban. The match referee's decision is final and binding.

Actually Inzamam should have received a ban under the strict interpretation of the code, since this was his second such offence within the last 12 months. But since the hearing did not take this into account before the fine was announced the ICC has decided not to take the matter further, in fairness to Inzamam. Chris Broad admitted: "In applying the provisions of the ICC Code I neglected to consult Inzamam's past record. It was an honest mistake and the matter has been dealt with."