UAE Fined 5% for Slow Over-rate in ICC League 2 Match

The United Arab Emirates have been fined five per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against the Netherlands in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match played in Amstelveen on Tuesday.

Phil Thompson of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after the UAE were ruled to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.

Under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

UAE captain Rahul Chopra pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Nitin Bathi and Roland Black leveled the charge.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 is a One Day International cricket competition, serving as the second tier in the three-level Cricket World Cup qualification system introduced in 2019. It features seven teams, with the top teams earning direct spots in the World Cup Qualifier or the World Cup Qualifier Play-off, offering another opportunity to qualify.

The Qualifier Play-off also replaces the ICC World Cricket League Championship and ICC World Cricket League Division Two in the World Cup qualification process. The first edition of this league took place from 2019 to 2023, with Scotland emerging as the winner, Papua New Guinea relegated, and Canada promoted.