Australia fined 40% of match fee, lose 4 points from Championship tally for slow over rate

The Boxing Day Test has seemed to be a sour defeat for the Australians on the field and off the field as well. The Tim Paine-led side has been fined 40 per cent of their match fee and penalised with four ICC World Test Championship points for maintaining slow over-rate in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The hosts lost their series lead as Indian registered an empathic victory by 8 wickets on Tuesday. 

The sanction has been imposed by the ICC Elite Panel match free David Boon after Australia was ruled to be two overs short of the target even after the time allowances were taken into consideration. 

'4 points deducted from Australia's total'

"In accordance with 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 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised two points for each over short. Consequently, four World Test Championship points have been deducted from Australia’s points total," the ICC release read. 

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Australian skipper Tim Paine plead guilty to the charges levelled by On-field umpires Bruce Oxenford and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Paul Wilson and fourth umpire Gerard Abood. Since the proposed sanction was accepted, there was no need for a formal hearing. 

Despite losing four points, Australia continues to remain on top of the ICC World Test Championship Points Table with 322 points (76.6 per cent). The Boxing Day Test win has propelled India to the second position pushing New Zealand and England below it. 

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India crush Australia at MCG 

Team India staged a remarkable comeback by winning the all-important Boxing Day Test match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground by eight wickets on Tuesday. The Indian bowlers worked in tandem to bundle the Aussies out for just 200 in their second innings as the batsmen just had to chase a paltry total of 70 which they did in style.

Debutant Gill who had scored 45 in the first innings once against ensured that the visitors got off to a flying start in their paltry run chase as he went after the Australian bowling attack right from the word 'Go' and when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy holders ended up losing the wickets of opener Mayank Agarwal and number three batsman Cheteshwar Pujara in single digits, Gill played his natural game and took India past the finish line by eight wickets. He remained unbeaten on 35. 
By the virtue of this win, Ajinkya Rahane & Co. have levelled the four-match series 1-1.

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