Haris Rauf fined 20% of match fee and handed demerit point after Lahore ODI flare-up
file photograph of Haris Rauf (Wikimedia Commons, public domain, by Dave Morton).
LAHORE — The International Cricket Council has fined Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf 20 per cent of his match fee. The sanction follows a Code of Conduct breach during Sunday’s one-day international against England in Lahore, and it comes with an official reprimand and one demerit point added to his disciplinary record. Announced on Wednesday, the decision leaves Rauf uncomfortably close to another suspension.
What happened in the 46th over
The incident came near the end of Pakistan’s innings. With the 46th over complete, Rauf, standing at the non-striker’s end, appealed for a wide — and then got into a heated exchange with England all-rounder Will Jacks. According to the ICC, Rauf raised his bat during the confrontation, carried on arguing despite a warning from umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and then brushed past the official as he walked towards Jacks. That was judged a breach of Article 2.2 of the Code of Conduct, which covers conduct contrary to the spirit of the game.
What five demerit points actually mean
This was Rauf’s third offence inside 24 months, and the new point takes his tally to five. Under ICC rules, four or more demerit points within a 24-month period convert into two suspension points — a ban of one Test, two ODIs or two T20Is. Rauf already served a two-ODI ban last year after breaches in Asia Cup games against India, so the margin for error from here is thin.
England fined as well
England did not escape the match unscathed either. The visitors were found three overs short of their target rate, even after time allowances were taken into account, and were fined 15 per cent of their match fees. Article 2.22 sets the penalty at five per cent per over short. Match referee Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees proposed both sanctions; Rauf and England captain Harry Brook accepted them, so no formal hearings were needed.
The match nobody will forget — for two reasons
The punishment arrives in the wake of a game that will live long in the memory. Chasing England’s 242, Pakistan had slumped to 154 for nine before Shadab Khan’s unbeaten 113 and an unbroken 89-run last-wicket stand with Rauf turned the match on its head. Pakistan won by one wicket, with Rauf scoring the winning run. It was a famous finish — and now, for Rauf at least, a bittersweet one, with a few heated moments on the field now sitting permanently on his disciplinary record.
