Before the wounds of a humiliating Test series defeat against England could heal, the Pakistan national cricket team received another major blow from the International Cricket Council (ICC). Following a severe slow over-rate in the third and final Test at Edgbaston, the ICC docked 11 points from Pakistan’s tally in the World Test Championship (WTC). Additionally, all team members were fined 50 percent of their match fees for the disciplinary breach.
An official press release issued by the ICC on Monday (September 14, 2026) confirmed that Pakistan was ruled to be 11 overs short of the target time after accounting for time allowances during the Edgbaston Test. Under WTC playing conditions, teams are penalized one point for every over short, resulting in Pakistan forfeiting 11 critical points from the standings.
The sanctions were imposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees following charges leveled by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Allahudien Paleker, and fourth umpire Russell Warren. Pakistan captain Babar Azam pleaded guilty to the offense, accepting the proposed sanctions without requiring a formal hearing.
This heavy penalty plunges Pakistan into an even more precarious position on the WTC points table. With 11 points deducted, Pakistan’s tally sits at just 5 points, reducing their points contest percentage (PCT) to a meager 4.63%. West Indies sits directly above them with 30 points. Australia currently leads the WTC standings with an 80.00% PCT, followed by South Africa (75%), New Zealand (72.22%), and Bangladesh (55.56%).
